iCarly's own MLP
by luna moody
Summary: Tired of her using him, Freddie bets Sam that she can't pass a test without his help. NOT THE YOOZH...This time the bet is a secret. Will the prize be worth it? Sam and Freddie? Definitely! Seddie? Maybe. I'm trying interactive on this one, so R&R!
1. Not Another Bet!

**I was being lazy the other day and made a wish for something that seemed rather Sammish. I thought, _wouldn't that be funny if Sam and Freddie had a bet, and Sam got what I was wishing_, and Bingo, Bango, Bongo...this short fanfic was born! I know I usually have these complete before I post, but I'm going to try something a bit different this time. I have the story started, but I will let you guys decide some of the details along the way. It may be for the next chapter, it may be a couple chapters down the line. You game? LETS GET THIS MOVA STARTED! **

**Disclaimer: iCarly popular, successful, brilliant, and unbelievably hilarious. Obviously it's not mine. **

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**Monday, after 2nd period Geometry:**

They stepped out of Geometry class into the crowded hallway at Ridgeway. "So did you understand what Mr. Lewis was saying about polyhedrons and obloquies?" Carly asked still confused over the day's lesson.

"It was a little confusing. I'll look over my notes again when I get home." Freddie said shoving his books into his locker. "I just wonder if it's going to be on the test Thursday."

"There's a test Thursday?" Sam said in shock.

"Yes, and you would have known that if you ever stayed awake in class," Carly reprimanded.

"It's not my fault," Sam whined. "The Monster Fright Fest didn't end until 3am and talking to my Uncle Bert is more exciting than Zippy in there, and Bert's in a coma!"

"Well, you really need to try and stay awake. You ruined last summer by having to repeat history," Carly reminded her. " You don't want to have to do the same thing this summer, do you?"

"Eh…No big," Sam shrugged. "I'll just borrow Freddie's notes." She reached behind him as he was bent over in his locker and started to unzip his backpack.

"Oh No You Don't!" He jerked away from her and pointed at her like a mother scolding her toddler. "The last time you _borrowed_ my notes, you didn't give them back until the morning of the test. I ended up getting a B-."

Sam stared at him blankly. "And your point?"

Freddie rolled his eyes at her. "And my point, Sam, is that you have used me in one way or another to pass your classes since the 5th grade. I don't think it's possible for you to make it through even one test without my help!"

Sam laughed bitterly. "That's not true, I do not use you every time!"

"Yeah, Sam," Carly interrupted. "You kind of do."

"Well, that's only because I don't _like_ to do the work." Sam defended. "I can pass without you easy!" she said in his face.

Freddie laughed. "I wouldn't bet on it!"

Carly immediately saw Sam's eyes widen, and she knew what was coming. "No! Freddie!"

Sam smirked, "Did I hear you say _bet_, Fredward?"

Carly stepped between them. "No! No he didn't! He said he _wouldn't_ bet on it, didn't you Freddie!"

Freddie smirked at the challenge laid front of him. "You want to bet me that you can pass the test without my help?"

"You guys! No Betting!" Carly demanded, glaring between them.

"Yeah, you're right Carly," Sam said smiling at her. "I guess the nub really wouldn't want to lose…again," She turned her head sharply at Freddie. "Would you Weirdward?"

Freddie, feeling emboldened by the challenge, took a step toward Sam and was now staring nose to nose with her. "Except that I wouldn't lose."

They stood silently measuring each other up, before they simultaneously burst out. "You're On!" A big smile spread across Freddie's face as he turned to the only neutral party. "Carly, will you go over the terms of the bet with us?"

"Nope!" Carly turned on her heels and stomped away, "Shay Out!" They watched her go for a few seconds before Sam grabbed Freddie's arm and pulled him back into the current challenge. "We don't need her. Let's do this!"

"Ok, the challenge is…" he smirked down at her. "You have to get a B or higher on the Geometry test Thursday _without_ my help."

"Hey," she growled. "C- is passing!"

"Yes, but a B is what I got last time because of _you_!" He pointed at her again, and she chomped her teeth at him nearly catching his finger.

"Ok. Fine," she huffed. "I get a _B_, without _your_ help. Is that it?"

"That's it," Freddie said simply. "Same bet as last time?"

"No," she said with a sly smile. "Lets make it interesting this time, shall we? Why don't we make this a secret bet?" She noticed the confusion on Freddie's face. "We can't know what the other is betting, until the winner is revealed."

"I don't know about that…" He said skeptically.

"Afraid Benson?"

"Do you blame me, Puckett?" he bit back. "How about a neutral party to judge the fairness in the bet?"

"Carly?" Sam looked around to find her.

"No, she hates us betting, she won't do it." Freddie spotted their red-haired friend coming down the hall. "Wendy!" he called. "Come here a minute, will you?" Wendy wound her way around a group of 7th graders and smiled as she came to Freddie and Sam. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Wendy!" Freddie said grabbing both of her elbows. "How would you like to be our mediator?" "Your what-i-ator?" she laughed.

"The doof is betting that I can't get a B on Mr. Lewis' Geometry test without his help." Sam explained. "We want to keep what we're betting a secret, but the cheese-doodle here want to make sure it's '_fair_'," she said sarcastically.

Wendy chuckled, as Freddie continued. "We'll tell you what each of our bets are. You just make sure that the values are equal, and not too dangerous," he said glaring at Sam.

Sam interrupted and pushed Freddie out of her way. "It's a secret though, so only you can know what they both say. We'll come to you when we determine a winner, and then you tell us what Freddie has to do."

"Sam!" Freddie protested.

"Sorry, what the _loser_ as to do." She said while smirking at Freddie.

"Cool! Sounds like fun," Wendy smiled. She reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of paper. She tore the paper in half and gave a piece to each of them to write their bet. Sam filled hers out immediately and gave it back to Wendy to read. "Oh, Clever!" Wendy smiled. "I could use that!" She folded the paper and wrote "Sam Wins" across the front.

Freddie took more time to choose his bet. He had written something and then erased it four times before he finally gave his paper to Wendy. He raised his eyebrow at Sam as Wendy read it. "Are you serious, Freddie?" she asked chuckling. "Absolutely!" he said still smirking at Sam. "Well, good luck with that!" Wendy said as she folded his paper and wrote "Freddie Wins" across the front. She put both pieces of paper together and stuck them in the middle of her European Lit book. "I'd say they're both equally humiliating," Wendy grimaced. "I'm really glad I'm not betting. So what now?" she asked looking between them again. "Do you, like, shake hands or something?"

Freddie started to extend his hand, but then pulled it back. "Wait, one more thing!" Sam's annoyance was apparent as she thought he was going to back out of the bet, but Freddie continued. "The loser has to do the task without complaining, or the bet doubles!" They both looked at Wendy for approval. "Hey, it's your bet, knock yourselves out!"

"Agreed," Sam spit on her hand and held it out for Freddie to shake. He made a disgusted face, but reluctantly did the same. Wendy suddenly noticed how empty the halls were getting. "Oh man! We're going to be late!" She took off running toward her class. Freddie started running in the opposite direction, but stopped when he noticed Sam wasn't following him.

"You coming?" he called. "Nope!" she smiled. "I gotta go have another meaningless conversation with my guidance counselor. Take notes for me?"

Freddie was set to argue, but he knew he was running out of time. "Argh, Fine!" he grumbled as he ran down the hallway to class. Sam turned and had taken 4 steps toward the office, when the tardy bell rang. "Heh! See you in detention, Fredward," she smiled.

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**There we go, Chapter 1 done! I know MLP is kind of vague, but it has to do with the secret bet. If I'm allowed to change the title I'll do it when we find out what the bet is. I already started the story, so I don't really have anything to ask yet. Oh, I know one, Names! I need a hot guy's name for next chapter, and I need a shy, mousy girls name, and a hot girls name for later chapters. That's 3 names total. Anyone have ideas? Tell me in the review. REVIEWS MAKE ME HAPPY! (I know, not that you care = P ) See you next time!**


	2. Pumpkin Eater

**Warning, It's almost 9am and I have been up over 24 hours at this point (aww, I got to watch the sun come up). Some of the following may not make sense.**

**Yay, This interactive thing is kinda fun. I had a lot of responses for the names! I****actually took some of the guys names and turned them into last names as well. I literally put the names into a hat and drew them this morning. In this chapter we briefly meet "the Hot Guy". Silver Cloud Lullaby (BTW your idea to call him Guy made me laugh), and Thewerepuppy (in that order)came up with Hot Guy's name. I Googled all the name pairings I drew, and every single one of them had someone listed with that name. This name wasn't too scandalous, though. So now I have to add a new disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: Any name similarity is purely coincidental and is not used with malicious intent. Oh and don't go asking the iCarly people about it, because they know nothing about me. So, are we all safe with that? On with the story!**

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**Thursday 2****nd**** period Geometry:**

Mr. Lewis passed out the tests. Freddie took one off the top and passed the rest behind him. He glanced 2 rows over to Sam, who had just taken her paper from the pile. She quickly skimmed over the first page, then looked at Freddie and gave a small smirk. Freddie rolled his eyes and looked back onto his page. The test was a little more difficult than he anticipated, but he had studied for the last 3 days**. **He smiled to himself, as he hadn't remembered Sam cracking a book once this week. _You lose Puckett!_

"**The vertices of triangle **_**ABC **_**are **_**A**_**(2, 1), **_**B**_**(3, 4), and C(1, 3). If ****triangle**_**ABC **_**is translated 1 unit down and 3 units to the left to create ****triangle **_**DEF**_**, what are the coordinates of the vertices of ****triangle**_**DEF**_**?" **He pulled out his scratch paper and took the next 3 minutes to work out the problem. He was satisfied with the answer, but he was more satisfied that _no way was Sam getting this right!_ He glanced back to see Sam chewing on a pencil while concentrating on a problem on the page. He smiled to himself and went back to the test. The next three questions were fairly easy. He did them in a total of 5 minutes then stole a glance over at Sam again. She had just finished writing something on the test paper, then picked it up and flipped to the next page.

_What, she's already done with 7 problems? I've only done 4!_ In his shock, he dropped his pencil on the floor. Sam looked over at the noise then gave him a quick smile. He had to contort his leg behind him to reach the pencil, but managed to fish it back up to the desk. During his little pencil mishap, he noticed she had finished yet another problem.

He quickly went back to the next problem. **"The length of one side of an equilateral triangle is 4 centimeters. Find the length of an altitude of the triangle." **_How is Sam getting all of these answers, and she's not even breaking a sweat? She probably has the answers stuffed somewhere… Oh, test, right!_ **"The length of one side of an equilateral triangle is 4 centimeters. Find the length of an altitude of the triangle."** Freddie tried to force himself to concentrate on the question, but he still couldn't help but sneak glances Sam's direction. _I swear! I will catch her cheating!_As he snuck his next glance he saw her turn over her scratch paper. _Ugh! Another problem down! Focus Freddie!_ **"The length of one side of an equilateral triangle is 4 centimeters. Find the length of an altitude of the triangle."**

Freddie finally allowed himself to concentrate enough to finish the page. He took one more look over to Sam and she was already working on the bottom of page two. He had barely finished page one! "Mr. Benson, is there a problem?" he heard Mr. Lewis say. _Sure, Zippy can't see her cheating through those bottle thick glasses he wears, but me he catches just glancing over? _"Um, No sir, I'm just taking a little break." _Argh! She can't win again!_ "Fine, Mr. Benson, just keep your eyes on your own paper." Freddie quickly nodded then glanced back at Sam. She wasn't looking at him, but she wore an unmistakable little smirk that he knew was definitely meant for him.

The teacher's interruption was just what he needed to make him refocus. He quickly zipped through the next questions and was just starting the last problem on page 2. He looked up at Mr. Lewis (who had the newspaper plastered against his face in an attempt to read it) before glancing over at Sam. She was sat at her desk with her test closed, her pencil lying neatly on top and she was chewing on a stick of beef jerky. _No Way! She finished all three pages? _He scowled at her. She caught his eye and gave him a little smile and wave. He rushed through the last problems to finish before the bell rang.

When the bell rang, they all passed up their papers and headed toward the door. "That was hard, but I think I did alright," Carly smiled. "Actually, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be." Sam might have been answering Carly, but it was unmistakably directed it at Freddie.

"Of course it's easy when you cheat, Sam!" Freddie couldn't help but spit out. Watching her through the whole period had gotten to him. Unfortunately, he wasn't totally out of the classroom when he made that little comment, and Mr. Lewis heard it.

"Wait, you two get back here," he called.

All three of them jumped at Mr. Lewis' voice. It was the most excited they had heard him all semester. They all slowly turned and headed over to Mr. Lewis as the rest of the class filtered past them. "Miss Shay, your presence is not needed. Go to class, please," Mr. Lewis said dryly. Carly looked worriedly at her friends as she slowly walked out the door. Mr. Lewis waited until she was gone before he turned to Sam and Freddie."

"I couldn't help but hear your comment Mr. Benson. Cheating is not a joking matter. If you are so sure about this, I assume you have proof?" Freddie looked at Sam with a mix of anger and regret. "No, I didn't actually see her, but I know something's not right." "Really, Benson?" She rolled up her sleeves and lifted her shirt to show Freddie her belly (where she had been known to write answers in the past). "I DID NOT CHEAT," she said slowly through clenched teeth.

"It's all because Freddie bet Sam she couldn't get a B on the test," Carly yelled as she ran in from the hall. "Miss Shay!" Mr. Lewis' voice was really starting to rise now. This might have been more excitement than he's had all decade. "We do not need your input, if you don't go to class this instant, I'll give you detention for a week! Carly started to protest, but Sam just looked at her and shook her head. Carly slumped her shoulders in defeat and shuffled out of class. Mr. Lewis looked between Sam and Freddie. "Well Mr. Benson?"

"What am I supposed to assume, Sam?" Freddie finally sighed. "You always fall asleep in class. You didn't ask me, or Carly, for help at all, and I haven't seen you crack a book all week. Now all of a sudden you breeze through one of the hardest tests this year, like it's something you learned in 3rd grade!" Sam quickly swooped toward Freddie, backing him into the teacher's desk. "Just because you didn't see me study, doesn't mean I didn't do it," she hissed. "I'm lazy, Benson, not stupid!"

"Alright, Miss Puckett, stand down." Mr. Lewis lightly pulled Sam away from Freddie. "We take these accusations very serious here at Ridgeway, so here's what's going to happen. I'm going to grade your test during my free period, and I'll take the results directly to Principal Franklin. He can figure it out from there."

Sam's glare bore a hole right through Freddie's conscience. Some of the juniors had already started filtering into the room for the next class. "You two better go to class before you're late," Mr. Lewis suggested. Sam stormed through the door knocking into Gabriel Asher on her way out. "Sam!" Freddie called after her, but it was no use. She was already bulldozing her way through the hallway. He turned to Gabe. "Sorry bout that. She's just a little…upset." The words tasted bitter in his mouth. He knew it was him that made her that way. "What happened?" Gabe asked, watching her go. "She got stuck with a stupid friend, that's what," Freddie frowned as he walked out the door.

Freddie shuffled his feet as he moved through the hallway. He was in no hurry to get to History. Sam sat behind him in class, and along the way he imagined all sorts of torture she might inflict on him. For once he was hoping he _would_ get locked out of class for being late. At least if he had to spend the period in detention, he might actually be safe.

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**Anywho, we're through with 2. I didn't solve the Math problems, so I have no idea if the amount of time he took for the problems was good, or bad...it just wasn't as fast as Sam. We met Gabe, we'll see more of him later.**

**I used to have a teacher exactly like Mr. Lewis. He was so blind that someone brought a mannequin to class one day and sat it in one of the desks, and he never noticed. He was blind to a lot of things, except whenever I did anything wrong he had some sort of radar attachment to catch me. GRRR.**

**So Sam's pretty angry with him. I can't think of an interactive part for next chapter (maybe because my mind is melting as I type this). I do have one request, though. If there are any story followers that are fairly fluent in French, PM me or let me know in the Review. I need some help with something.**

**I'm going to bed now. See ya next time. Oh yeah, review please.**


	3. MLP to the office please!

**Howdy, Y'all! Thanks again for all the responses. Sorry to those I gave math nightmares to. Math is not my thing, and I only pass because of the fabulous Russ who I've been lucky enough to sit next to for the past 2 years. He explains the crap to me in language I actually understand. Hey, I can't be good at everything! (Ok, you didn't have to laugh that hard, that's just mean!) **

**So…Sam is MAD, and Freddie is stupid! Actually, it was an accident, but it was still stupid. I think Sam showed amazing restraint in front of Mr. Lewis…hmm? How long can that last, though?**

**I learned my lesson last time, and the Awesome HydroHeat checked my French. Much thanks my Bruva! Speaking of the French part…It's mostly boring classroom stuff, and I tried to make it self explanatory, but if you're really dying to know (doubt it), ask and I'll tell you. The teacher's name was sort of a joke about my feeling toward my French teacher, if anyone cares to translate it. **

**Now on to the boring stuff…**

**Disclaimer: The other night, a fairy came to me and said she'd grant me one wish. I wished that I could own iCarly and live in the fancy loft and write all their funny lines. Before she could fly away, my stupid brother caught her and kept her in a jar. Did you know trapping fairies limits the amount of magic they can do? She couldn't grant my wish, so iCarly still belongs to Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon. She did manage to give my brother a nasty case of hemorrhoids, tough. Ah well, that one is good too!**

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Thursday, 5th Period French Class:

Freddie stared at Mme Cheval-âne. He was slightly aware that words were coming out of her mouth, but he was too busy reliving the icy reception he got from Sam at lunch.

He had sat down next to Carly and Sam in the cafeteria, just like every other day. He quickly noticed that his lunch was a little too close to Sam so he snatched it back before she could grab it, but she hadn't even tried. In fact, the entire time she acted as if he didn't exist. She didn't even laugh when he joked that Mr. Howard should try sitting on his bullhorn because that's where he talked from most of the time anyway. Carly nearly choked from laughing, but Sam just continued eating her sandwich as if she hadn't heard a thing.

So many times he wished for Sam to just leave him alone, but now he sat in class thinking how awful this all felt. He'd much rather she punched him in the face than pretend he didn't exist.

"M. Benson, Attention!" Mme Cheval-âne broke his train of misery. "Regardez la carte," she said pointing to a map on the wall. "Vous êtes ici. Quel chemin vers l'hôtel?"

Freddie was still shaking off his thoughts. "I'm sorry. What?"

"En français, s'il vous plais!" Mme Cheval-âne shrieked.

Freddie was trying to remember how to say, "Please repeat the question" when the door opened, and Gibby walked in. Hoots and whistles could be heard from around the room as Gibby made his way to the teacher.

"Fermez vos bouches, étudiants!" She scolded the students. "Bon après-midi, Gibby!"

"Uh...Buns, and meaty apples to you too?" Gibby repeated as he handed her the pass and left.

"Merci, Gibby. Freddie, vont au bureau," Mme Cheval-âne announced as she read the pass.

Freddie took the paper, then caught up with Gibby outside. "Hey what's going on," Freddie asked holding up the pass to Principal Franklin's office.

"I don't ask what they're about, kid. I just hand em' out," Gibby smiled. "I can tell you that he's in there with Mr. Lewis and another kid right now." He pulled up another piece of paper. "And, I've got a pass for Sam too."

"Oh," Freddie's heart sank. "Hey Gibby, don't tell Sam what you just told me, ok? It's better if she walks in clueless than angry." Gibby agreed then turned down another hall.

Freddie continued the long walk to Principal Franklin's office. Funny…he wasn't exactly afraid of Principal Franklin, but knowing it was about Sam made him feel sick. He walked through the door and was greeted by a friendly face.

"Hey Freddie, what's up?" Wendy smiled. She noticed the frown on his face as he held up the pass. "Oh…this is about that bet, isn't it?" her smile faded. "Usually I just file and sort stuff," she whispered. "But, I saw Mr. Lewis and that hottie Gabriel Asher go in to talk to Principal Franklin, so I volunteered to watch the phones while the office ladies were at lunch. Gabe just left a couple minutes ago," she smiled.

That bit of news puzzled Freddie, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. Principal Franklin's door opened and he and Mr. Lewis walked out. "Freddie, go in and take a seat, please," Principal Franklin ordered. "I'll be there in just a minute." Freddie walked in slowly and took a seat next to the wall. Several seconds later, Principal Franklin was back with two files in his hand; one much thicker than the other.

He had just sat down at his desk when the door burst open again, and a blond tornado blew into the room. "What up P. Frank?"

"Sam," Principal Franklin icily returned the greeting. "Have a seat, please." He motioned for Freddie to come up too, and Sam glared as she saw the boy for the first time.

"Looks like there's a bit of a situation here," Principal Franklin started as he put on his glasses. "It seem we have Freddie accusing Sam of cheating on a Geometry test…and something about a bet?" Sam and Freddie both sat quietly, listening guiltily to the charges. "Cheating is a serious accusation, and betting money is against school rules…"

"Oh, we don't bet money," Sam interrupted.

Principal Franklin perked up. "Oh? So what exactly did you bet?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "It was a secret."

Principal Franklin looked at Freddie. "We wrote it down and gave it to Wendy to hold until we found out who won."

"This Wendy?" Principal Franklin pointed to the door, and Sam nodded her head. Principal Franklin called for Wendy. Less than 10 seconds later, Wendy walked in, put two pieces of paper on Principal Franklin's desk, and walked back out the door again. "Wen…" he started to call, but then looked down at the papers. "Thank You," he yelled as she closed the door behind her.

He quietly read the papers, and then folded them back up again. He took off his glasses and looked at Freddie and Sam. "Betting is usually punishable by at least detention, and at most expulsion." Freddie gulped as he thought of his mother's reaction to him being expelled.

"These however…" Principal Franklin held up the papers, "outweigh the punishment I would have given for it. I've decided to uphold the bet, and hopefully by the end of the week, you'll think twice about betting." Freddie breathed a sigh of relief and Sam smiled.

"Now for the other issue." Principal Franklin pushed his fingertips together in a pyramid as he spoke to them. "Mr. Lewis looked over Sam's test. With the work she provided, and some outside information that has come to us, he seems to think that the work Sam did was her own. You, Sam, have been cleared of the cheating charges." Sam quickly turned and smirked at Freddie.

"Freddie," Principal Franklin continued. "I'm going to assume that you only made the accusation so you could win the bet. That's unconscionable, and I feel warrants a detention! I've already cleared it with your mother and you will serve this afternoon. I'm sure Sam can show you the way." Freddie growled in frustration and Sam laughed.

"That's all," Principal Franklin said as he put on his glasses and waved them both away. "You can go back to your class now. "

They both got up, but Sam didn't leave. "Uh, Ted…" Principal Franklin glared at her. "Sorry. Principal Franklin," she corrected. "What grade did I get on that test?"

Principal Franklin looked at her over his glasses. "You were looking for a 'B'?" Freddie and Sam both nodded their heads. "Well, Sam…" he reached into the thick file and pulled out her test paper. "Congratulations, you got an 'A'," he smiled.

Sam grabbed the paper from him and jumped up and down. "What?" Freddie yelled.

"I got an 'A', I got an 'A'," she chanted as she bounced around the room. "Eat that Fredward!" she yelled, shoving the large A in his face.

"Well…he must have graded easier," Freddie defended as he snatched her test paper and skimmed through it.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Freddie," Principal Franklin said as he handed Freddie a test from the other file. "He graded yours too!"

Freddie could hardly believe his eyes. "A 'D'?" he yelled at the paper. "A 'D'?" he yelled at Principal Franklin as Sam snatched the paper, laughing.

"Yes a 'D'!" She pointed to the large red letter on the page. "It stands for Doofus," she enunciated.

"Man, I hate this day!" Freddie grumbled.

"Well, I'm afraid it's not over yet." Principal Franklin grabbed one of the folded papers off of his desk and handed it to Freddie. "I believe this belongs to you."

Freddie took the paper and read "Sam Wins" on the front. He growled in frustration, again, as he unfolded the paper. He had to read the bet three times before the words sunk in. "But…But…I have to…"

Sam grinned and nodded. "Yes Fredward, you have to carry me piggyback everywhere I go for a week." Freddie looked imploringly at the man.

Principal Franklin walked to Freddie and put a fatherly hand on his shoulder. "If you learn nothing else from me, Freddie, remember this…NEVER bet that Sam Puckett can't do something." He opened the door for them and waved them out. "Now, you two get back to class."

Freddie walked past Sam toward the door. "Uh, Benson!" she called. "You forgetting something?" Freddie was about to turn around, but suddenly felt two claws on his shoulders and a giant weight hit his back. He turned to Principal Franklin, only to watch the man shrug.

"Gah!" Freddie grunted as he hoisted Sam higher on his hips.

"Good Boy," she cooed as she pat his head. "Let's go!" She kicked his thighs and pulled at his shirt to get him to move. "See ya Frankie!" she waved at the Principal as she directed Freddie out the door.

Wendy chuckled when she saw them come through. "Congratulations, Sam!"

"Thanks!" Sam smiled, "I always wanted my very own MLP."

"MLP?"

"My Little Pony, of course!

Freddie gave Wendy an imploring look as if to say 'kill me now.' The smile hidden under Wendy's sympathetic frown for Freddie gave way to a full blown chuckle as Sam kicked her heels into Freddie's sides and rode him out into the halls of Ridgeway.

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Yippee! It's chapter 3! (Heh, Gibby called Freddie "Kid". )So now you know what MLP means! Those of you paying attention would know that I accidentally told who the winner was in my A/N before the story ever started...Oops! To those of you who are joining us again after checking that out, now you see the extent of my laziness.

**So, now that we know who won and what Sam bet, I can ask a few more "interactive" questions. **

**1. What should Freddie's pony name be? I found a MLP name generator, but I'm not wild about what it came up with. (I may put my favorites in a hat and draw again.)**

**2. I have some ideas, but I want to know what you would do if you were Sam with a Freddy pony. How evil would you get? Remember he accused her of cheating! (You may want to PM me.)**

**3. Freddie didn't win, so his bet didn't really matter. Are you interested in knowing it, anyway? (Maybe in one of the last chapters, if at all.)**

**Just a little heads up: This is the last chapter I had written ahead of time. From now on, I'm going to be writing according to your input ,so I can't guarantee how quick I'll update. I usually like keeping it to a couple days, but that may not be the case. I can promise that, unless I get hit by a truck, I'll still at least put some effort into it every day. Thanks again, and keep the comments coming. You guys can't see it, but I do a little dance, every time I see a review come in.**


	4. The Torture of Sparky

**Woo Hoo! I'm back in the 21****st****Century! Felt like I was back on the Prairie with Half-Pint and Nelly for a while, there. So…Ma Nature must be PMSing this week, cause a freak storm hit on Wednesday and lightning struck a transformer near our house. Anyway, Poof! No electricity for almost 3 days. Truly Suckish! I guess I should be careful about comments like "...unless I get hit by a bus." Whoops, glad it wasn't that. Anyway, finally I get to update! Hooray!**

**First off (or is this second?), I wanted to say Congrats to CupcakeSlam23 and Absolutely M on their graduations! I know I'm forgetting someone, for which I feel ashamed. Anyway, if there's anyone else out there…Woo Hoo for You!!!!**

**Now on to Story Stuff: Lots of great ideas (you guys are good). I used a few which I will credit at the end. There will be some new interactive questions there too. Sorry. I'm rushing cause this chapter was a lot longer than I intended. Is there anything else…just the disclaimer, I think.**

**Disclaimer (Check it Barney! I'm dropping a surf limerick on you Hodads): **

**There's a boss show on Nick called iCarly, ****that's all sorts of Rad, Shweet, and Gnarly! ****Don't mean to be rude, but get over it Dude! ****It's made by some Swami named Schneidy. (Heh, Schneider didn't rhyme.)**

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Freddie had only managed to carry Sam to the end of the hallway, before he had to stop and readjust. "Sam, hold on to my shoulders, instead of my shirt. You keep sliding down."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on lightly to her wrists. "You know, maybe if you'd grow a butt Benson, there wouldn't be a problem."

"I'm sure nobody has ever had to say that to you, have they, Puckett" he snapped back.

Sam quickly tightened her grip around Freddie's neck, then bit down on his ear.

"Ahhh, Sam! Let go! That Hurts!" Freddie stumbled a bit as he tried to pull at her hair to get her to release his ear.

"Apowochis Redwud!" She managed to mumble around the flesh she was holding in her teeth!

"Ahhh!" He was still trying to get her away. "No! You apologize first about the butt crack!"

She tugged harder on his ear, "Wud hu thay?"

"Ow, Ow, Ow," he hissed. "I mean what you said about me growing a…" She yanked again. "Ahh, Alright! I'm sorry about your commenting on the size of your butt!"

She finally spit his ear from her mouth. "I happen to like the size of my butt, Benson!"

"Yes, Sam," he said flatly, "you have quite the nice Badonkadonk, now can you loosen your grip?"

"Whatever," she said angrily. "Just take me to class, Pony Boy!"

"Fine, where is it?"

"Second Floor."

Freddie grunted his way to the second floor. Sam led him all the way down the corridors to the last classroom and they stood in front of room 224. "Wait, its still 5th period? This isn't the right room," she giggled absent-mindedly. "Take me back downstairs, Frederella!"

Freddie hoisted her up again, headed back through the corridor and down the stairs.

"To the drinking fountain, my trusty steed!" she pointed triumphantly. Freddie smiled a bit, _a drink might be good about now_. He stood in front of the fountain waiting for her to get down and take a drink…but she wasn't moving. "Well lean," she finally commanded.

Freddie gave a little laugh. "Where have I heard that before?"

"I don't know, I'm sure," she said with a menacing tone. "But right now I need to put some cold fluid down my gullet. Now bend over so I can get a drink!"

Freddie bent over the fountain, but it knocked Sam off balance, and they both fell over.

"Sam, why don't you just get a drink and then get back on?" he said massaging his now bruised shoulder.

"Because that's not the way it works, Fredward," she dusted herself off and gave him a hand up. "Now let's try this again."

She climbed back on and tightened her grip around his neck. He slowly bent over trying to keep balance and waited for her to turn on the faucet. As soon as she turned it on, the water sprayed directly in his ear, but it wouldn't go high enough to for Sam to reach. "Move your head," she yelled.

"If I move my head, we're both going down again!" Freddie straightened back up and hoisted her higher on his back. "Here. I'll lean over and you try and stay back a bit."

She loosened her grip on his shoulders and balanced gracefully on his hips as he lowered his torso. She pivoted slightly to reach the faucet and was finally able to take a drink. "Hey, not bad there, Mr. Smarty Pants," she said wiping her mouth. She tugged his shirt to pull him back up again, but Freddie stopped level with the faucet, and drank long and deep. "What are you, part camel? Come on already," she pulled.

"It's not like you're doing all the work, here," he fires as he wipes his mouth. "And you're not exactly a sack of feathers, either." She was about to argue with him, but he interrupted her. "Where to now?"

"Back upstairs," she glared.

"But we were just up there," he whined. "Why didn't you use the fountain up there?"

"This one's colder," she bit back. "What? I like cold water! I didn't hear you complaining when you drank the whole bay!"

"Whatever," he sighed. He readjusted her position and trudged back up the stairs. He stopped at the top to catch his breath for a second. "Now where?" Sam pointed down the same corridor they traveled earlier." He shuffled his way down the hallway waiting for her to tell him to stop at any point. When they finally reached the end of the corridor, he stopped. "Sam, I thought you said it wasn't room 224."

"It' not," she said sliding off. "It' room 223!" She did a graceful little turn and sashayed through the door, leaving an open mouth and appalled Freddie standing in the hall. He rolled his eyes and ran back to his classroom on the first floor.

"Bienvenue en arrière, Freddie," Mme. Cheval-âne greeted him. "Tout est bien?"

"Oui," he said out of breath as he made his way to his desk. "Merci." He had barely sat down when the bell rang.

"Classez, n'oubliez pas que le travail sur le conseil, est dû demain," the teacher shouted as the students shuffled out.

"Ugh, homework too?" Freddie grunted as he picked up his bag. He had to go quickly again to meet Sam. Luckily next period they were all in History together.

He ran back up to the 2nd floor. Carly and Sam were standing outside of the classroom and Carly looked a bit impatient. "I don't see why we don't just meet him downstairs," he heard her say as he ran up to them.

He stood with his hands on his knees for a second catching his breath. "I'm here," he finally managed to squeak out. Sam looked at him silently then lightly pulled the strap to his bag. He looked down to see what was wrong with it then finally understood. "Oh." He took the backpack off and turned it around backwards so that the pack sat on his belly. "Better?"

"Much," Sam smiled. She turned Freddie around and assumed her riding position. He grabbed her behind the knees and jostled her into a comfortable spot. She looked back at Carly who wasn't moving, then pulled Freddie around so they could face her.

"Why?" Carly sighed, looking between the both of them.

"Freddie, would you like to explain?" Sam smiled, sweetly.

"Because I lost the bet," he said dryly.

"And now you have to carry her piggyback…" Carly was trying to hide a smile.

"For a WHOLE WEEK!" he grumbled.

"Your My Little Pony dream?" she smiled at Sam.

"Great, Huh?" Sam started stroking Freddie's hair. "I think I shall call him Sparkletoes Flitterfluff…Sparky for short!"

Carly started laughing and Freddie just closed his eyes and shook his head. The feeling of Sam running her nails through his scalp was a bit calming. It might have even felt good, if it wasn't so humiliating.

"Aww," Carly cooed, looking at Freddie's embarrassed face. "I told you…"

"Don't…" Freddie interrupted "Say… A Word!" He started walking grumpily through the halls.

"Oh, hey," Sam said reaching into her front pocket. "I have something for you." She handed him a piece of paper.

"What is it?" He opened the paper and read it, his face getting angrier as he went. "What the heck is this, Sam?" He thrust the paper at her

"I wrote it in 4th period, pretty clever, huh?" she said proudly. "It's what you're supposed to sing any time anyone asks why you're carrying me."

"Sing?" he shouted. "No Way, Nuh uh, Not part of the deal," he stomped down the hallway.

"Well, neither was getting accused of cheating," she said as she gripped tighter. "You don't see me getting all huffy about it!" Freddie shut his mouth and continued down the stairs. He still felt guilty about the cheating thing, but he was quickly getting over it.

"Hey, Fredward. Stop." She pulled. "I need to go to the bathroom." Freddie stopped and let go of her knees, expecting her to slide off.

"What? Let's go!" She pulled onto his shoulders, guiding him toward the restroom.

"Sam," he said shocked. "I'm not going in there, it's the girls restroom!"

"If you don't go in, I hope you brought a change of clothes, cause one way or another, I'm going pee!" She pulled his shirt and leaned trying to maneuver him that direction.

"Sam, I'm a guy," he hissed. "I'll get in trouble if I go in there!"

"No you won't," she kicked still trying to get him to move. "Principal Franklin approved this little experiment, remember?"

"I don't think he meant this, Sam!" He pushed himself away from the door. "Anyway, I am not going in there!"

"Are you complaining, Fredward?" A sly smile spread across her face, "Cause I'd be glad to do this for another week."

"Sam this I totally unfair!" he grunted. "I'd never do this to you!"

"Ugh, you're such a baby!" She reached over to Carly and took the pink frilly scarf from around her neck. "Here, this will pwotect your widdew eyes from seeing anyfing in the big bad girls bafwoom!" She wrapped the scarf around his eyes and directed him toward the door. "Carly will watch the door, won't you Carls?"

Carly moped behind them, "I guess."

While Sam was busy looking at Carly, Freddie ran right into the door with his face.

"You were supposed to open it," Sam explained.

"Ya Think?" He yelled. "Thanks for the warning!"

Carly opened the door for them. She went around the corner and ducked down looking under the stalls for feet. "It's empty now, let's just get this over with and get out of here," she suggested nervously.

Carly stayed near the door while Sam directed Freddie though the restroom. "Ok, keep going forward..." Her voice echoed off the tiles. "We're almost there, just a couple more stalls."

"Why didn't you just use the first one," he complained.

"Because Fredward!" She snapped back. "The first one never has toilet paper, the second doesn't flush, and there's something rude written about you on the third. Now, stop acting like you know everything!" She pulled him to a stop. "Here," she slid down.

She went inside and locked the door, leaving Freddie standing in the middle of the room blindfolded. "Who would write something rude about me on the ba…" He put his hands on his hips and turned in the direction he thought the stall was. "Sam, what did you write about me?"

"Eh, who remembers," she chuckled. "You can check it out if you want to," she teased.

"Just hurry up and let's go."

"I can't," she whined.

"What do you mean, you can't."

"Don't get you panties in a bunch," she scolded. "I can't…go with you waiting on me…do something to distract me."

"Like what, Sam,"

"I don't know just think of something!"

Freddie thought a minute, then started stomping his feet and clapping his hands. Then he started singing:

_Pee Pee, Wee Wee, Poopy in the Potty _

_Pee Pee, Wee Wee, Poopy in the Potty_

(Carly stuck her head around the corner and laughed as Freddie stood there blindfolded doing a little dance)

_Come on Baby, you can do it._

_Squat on the pot, there's nothing to it._

_Come on Baby, you can do it._

_Squat on the pot, there's nothing to it._

(He stopped clapping to rap the next part)

_Lose that diaper, and the baby wiper,_

_Poo in the loo and fire like a striker!_

_Psshhht, Psshhht, Psshhht, Whooshhh._

_Tinkle, Tinkle, Tinkle, Yeah Yeah!_

_Tinkle, Tinkle, Tinkle, Yeah Yeah! _

_Tinkle, Tinkle, Tinkle, (He hears another voice) Yeah Yeah!_

_Tinkle, Tinkle, Tinkle, (the other voice joins in) Yeah Yeah!_

He continued to clap until he heard a loud flush on the other end, and the sound of the lock turning. He backed up a little, not sure where the door was.

"What …was that?" Sam's voice was unreadable. He couldn't tell if she was disgusted, amused, or just plain shocked.

"It's what my mom sang to me when she was potty training me." He was glad for the blindfold as he stood in silence, but wished it covered more of his very red face. "What…I panicked!"

"I'm almost ashamed to admit it worked," her voice said monotonously.

"It did?" he grinned. "It must have been the 'Psshhht'! That got me every time."

"TMI, Fredward," she grimaced. "Now assume the position so we can go."

He crossed his hands in front of his chest. "Not until you wash your hands!"

"Fine!"

He heard the sink running but still didn't trust her. "You can get back on when I feel your hands." The water shut off and he heard the paper towel rip from the holder. He figured if her hands felt clammy he'd know she washed them. He held out his hands for her to take, but suddenly he felt something clammy and soft against his cheeks. He was just beginning to like the feeling when suddenly her fingers tightened and pinched his cheeks so hard they almost went numb. "Ah, Sam!"

"Well, at least they're clean!" She jumped on his back and smacked him on the shoulder. "Now let's go."

Sam guided him back out the door as Carly held it open for them. "That was quite a song, there Freddie," he could hear her holding back a laugh.

Once they were back in the halls, he pulled off the blindfold. "Alright, go ahead!" He rolled his eyes and waited patiently while Carly and Sam broke into raucous laughter.

"_Come on Baby, You can do it, Squat on the pot there's nothing to it_," Carly sang wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Hey, you didn't seem to think it was that bad when you joined in the _yeah yeah's_ on those last two lines." Freddie said over their laughter.

"It was only once," Carly's laughter started to die down.

"No, it was twice," Freddie corrected. "Once by the door and once near the window, I think."

"No, I never left the door."

"I heard it too," Sam joined in.

"It wasn't me," Carly shrugged.

"Then who…" Sam was about to ask when all of a sudden the bathroom door squeaked opened.

All three of their mouths dropped open when Alana Michaels, THE hottest girl at Ridgeway… and a junior…walked out the door. Her long brown hair flowed in a breeze behind her, and her piercing blue eyes fixed on Freddie. She walked toward the three of them and they held their breath. She stopped right in front of Freddie and gave him a small smile. "Nice Song," she chuckled then walked away. She looked back over her shoulder and shouted "Yeah Yeah!," as she continued strutting down the hallway.

Carly and Sam were only able to contain their laughter long enough for Alana to walk out of sight. Freddie turned and started banging his head against the bank of lockers next to them. Carly doubled over laughing and Sam laughed so hard she slid off of his back and onto the floor.

"Aww," Carly finally took pity on him and let her laughter die to a small giggle. "We better get to class, Sparky." Sam jumped back onto Freddie's back and Carly took him by the wrist and led them to class.

"Sorry Fredward," Sam pet him on the shoulder, still trying to hold down the giggles. "That really blows!"

********************************************************************

All through 6th period Freddie tried to collect his dignity. After class, he and Sam said bye to Carly. They still had detention added on to their day.

"What are you in here for, anyway, Sam" Freddie asked as they maneuvered through the detention door.

"Hello …I'm Sam!" she knocked on his head. "I pretty much just have to wake up in the morning and I get detention." Luckily it was Ms. Haberstad running detention this time. She never paid attention to anything as long as they were quiet. "Back corner." Sam pointed.

They took their seats and Sam took out her Pear Pod. Freddie pulled out his notebook and started digging for a book in his bag.

"Going over your Geometry test, there Sparky?" Sam laughed.

"Har, Har," he grumbled. "No, I've gotta figure out what this French stuff is since I was too busy being humiliated in Principal Franklin's office instead of in class.

"You know," she smiled. "Carly did warn you not to bet."

Freddie made a face at her and pulled out his French book, just as Ms. Haberstad walked in the room.

Freddie tried to pay attention to his French assignment, but he couldn't concentrate. Sam was noisily drawing something and using a lot of colored pencils. He kept trying to sneak glances, but he was sitting on the wrong side and she was covering up most of it. He finally checked to see if Ms. Haberstad was distracted then tapped Sam on her side to get her attention. When she finally looked over, he motioned his head to the drawing. Sam pulled the drawing closer for him to see.

It was a person with long bright pink hair, a purple sparkly sash and some weird fanny pack strapped to its back. Freddy smiled with a curious expression and lipped 'fanny pack?' to Sam.

She shook her head, "Saddle!"

Freddie was starting to feel uncomfortable about this particular drawing. "Who?" Sam smiled and pointed back to Freddie. Freddie's eyes grew wide as he realized she expected him to wear that. He shook his head quickly at her as she just smiled and nodded back at him. The silent sparring went on for several minutes until Ms Habertad finally announced that detention was over.

As soon as they were out in the hallway Freddie started arguing with Sam about the picture. He brought up all the reasons as to why he shouldn't and wouldn't wear them. Sam just silently listened and when he was finished, she simply said, "We'll see."

Freddie quickly changed his books in his locker then took Sam to hers. She was taking a while switching out her books. "Sam you never do any homework anyway, why are you taking so long?"

"Hold you panties, I'm almost done." She zipped her backpack and slung it across her back. The weight of the bag pulled them both backward, and Freddie had to grab onto the locker to steady himself.

"You're carrying all your books, aren't you?"

"Yep!"

"Why?"

"Oh, I just decided my locker I too cluttered so I'm taking out some of the things I don't use," she said innocently. They finally balanced themselves and stood up again. Sam reached to shut the locker door and saw the clock. "Uh, oh. The bus should be here any second. Run Sparky, Run!"

Freddie hoisted her up on his hips again and took off running across the campus toward the bus stop. The bus was already there. He ran across the lawn as fast as he could carrying Sam and her backpack. He had just caught up to the back of the bus when the doors closed. Before he could reach the front, it started driving away.

"Now, look what you did!" Sam grumbled as Freddie stood for a minute trying to catch his breath. "Looks like it's time to put those Sparkletoes to work!"

"That's 16 blocks! You expect me to carry you and the whole flippin library?"

"Aw, suck it up! You can do it! You better hurry, though. We're going to be late for rehearsal." She wrapped her arm a little tighter around his neck to prepare for the run.

Freddie took as deep a breath as he could, and started to slowly jog down the block. He managed to get about 5 blocks before he started feeling the burning in his lungs. "Gotta…slow…down…a minute," he huffed as he slowed to a walking pace. They walked for another 3 blocks before his lungs felt almost normal again.

"This is too slow," Sam grumbled. "You better now?" Freddie nodded. "Then lets go! Hyah!" She jumped and kicked into his sides. She reached back and smacked his butt to get him to move faster. Freddie picked up speed and was now running at a moderate pace, surprised that he was managing to carry all the extra weight.

He started coming up to a small hill. He slowed his pace just a little, but kept pushing on. If he could make it up the hill, the rest of the way to Bushwell Plaza was downhill. He pushed until his legs and lungs were burning again. "Go, Freddie Go!" was being chanted in his ear. At the top of the hill was a dentist office with a small fountain in front. Just past his beating heart he could hear the gurgle of the fountain getting stronger as he got closer. He was almost there…just a few feet more.

He finally saw the water trickling gracefully over the edge of the artwork sculpture. He remembered thinking once that it was almost as good as Spencer's. He finally reached the top and stopped to catch his breath. He dipped his hand into the pool of water at the base of the fountain and splashed it onto his face.

"Whoa, careful there tiger," Sam laughed as he got her just a bit wet. She looked at the hill that they just climbed. "Not bad, Benson." We're almost there!" She could hear a loud vehicle coming up behind her. "Hey, look at that! We beat the bus!" Freddie only half smiled. He was too tired to be impressed. He hoisted her up once more to get ready for the last part of the journey. Sam hugged tighter against his back, and braced her hands against his chest. He took a few slow jogging steps down the hill, but then gravity started to take hold. He was picking up speed as he moved further down the hill. At this point, he wasn't sure if he could stop if he wanted to. Luckily it was a straight shot and not much was in his way.

Bushwell Plaza was quickly coming into view, but he wasn't in control of his speed anymore. He had no idea how he was going to stop at this point. The building was now just few yards ahead, and he wouldn't be able slow down before he hit the door. Just as he reached the corner, he noticed a car pulling out of the parking structure behind the building. _Yes! _He shot past the Bushewell entrance and over to the parking structure. Sam was trying to tell him he missed the turn, but his mind had a different focus. He rounded the corner and headed up the steep incline to the second level. It took about 6 parking spaces for him to be able to control his speed and 10 to be able to stop.

"Ahhh," Freddie breathed both out of physical exertion and relief. He slowly started to head back down the parking incline and over to the front doors. He would be happy to finally get into an elevator and let something else carry him for a while.

"You were out of control back there, weren't you," Sam asked still not yet letting up on her grip. Freddie was still gasping for air and could only nod. "You know you could have killed us, right?" Freddie nodded again. She started yelling and pounding on his shoulder. Freddie was still in a shocked haze. He just kept walking and let her pound away.

He managed to move steadily through the lobby and over to the elevators. He just needed to get inside and ride it to Carly's. As he rounded the corner, he saw Spencer standing in the hall looking at the elevator.

"Hey Spencer, what's up," Sam asked cheerfully.

"Hey guys," he said distracted. "I was taking my sculpture down to load it onto delivery truck, and it got wedged in the elevator." He tried pulling it again but it was lodged against the door. "Power's down for both elevators til we get it out. Sorry guys, looks like you're gonna have to take the stairs this time." He finally looked over at them. "Hey, why are you carrying…"

Freddie went to open his mouth but still couldn't do much more than gasp for air. "He'll tell you later," Sam answered. "Come on, let's go take the stairs." She pulled Freddie toward the stairs.

"Carly's in the studio," Spencer called after them. "The door's open, just let yourselves in."

Freddie stood at the base of the stairs contemplating the 7-story climb. "One foot in front of the other Fredward." Sam pat his shoulder. He glared back at her. She could get off any time as far as he was concerned.

The first few flights were hard, but they were nothing like the last two. He had to hold the rail and pull himself up the last flight of stairs. He shuffled slowly down the hall to Carly's apartment. Sam opened the door and called for Carly. Good thing! He couldn't feel his lungs anymore! Sam dropped her backpack next to the door. "Whew, glad that's off," she smiled. "That thing was heavy!" Freddie grunted at her gall to call that heavy. "She's upstairs, Fredward, Let's go!"

Freddie slowly started the last climb up the stairs. He relied heavily on the railings to make it all the way up. Once they reached the top, he stayed close to the walls, his legs were feeling more rubbery with every step. He finally stumbled into the studio and right past Carly. He headed straight for the nearest beanbag and collapsed into it, squishing Sam beneath him.

"Get off Me!" Sam was trying to wiggle out from underneath him.

"Oh My God!" Carly saw Freddie gasping and his pale face. She grabbed a bottle of water off the cart and rushed over to him.

"Carly, Get him off me!" Sam yelled trying to reach for Carly's hand.

"Shut up Sam!" She lifted Freddie's head to let him take a drink. Freddie guzzled down the drink only stopping to breathe.

Carly had left him to go find a magazine to fan him with. She was digging through her stack when she heard Freddie yell, "Ow!"

His head was laid back against Sam's shoulder and she was pushing at his back. "Sam," Carly scolded. "He's not hurting you, let him catch his breath for a minute!"

Sam continued pushing against Freddie. "That's...what I'm... trying to do!" she grunted back. "If I could just reach the..." She finally popped the hook that was wedged between her and Freddy and pulled the straps of his backpack from behind him. She lifted the bag off his chest and threw it next to them. "Here, Carly let me have that, you go get him some more water!"

Sam started fanning Freddie with one hand, while her other hand was busy opening the buttons on his shirt. "Thanks," he managed to squeak out as Carly handed him another water. He drank about half of the second bottle before dropping his head back onto Sam's shoulder. She began stroking his hair to calm him until his breathing became normal again.

As the girls' fanning started slowing down, he unconsciously ran his fingers through his hair. His fingers tangled with Sam's for a moment. He began to realize where he was, then quietly started to sit up. Carly pulled his arms to help him as Sam shifted to a sitting position behind him.

Carly stroked his hand and looked at him cautiously. "You Ok?" Freddie smiled and nodded his head.

"Good," Sam looked at him with a frown on her face. "Go home, Freddie."

Carly and Freddie both turned to look at her. Sam handed him his backpack and pushed him off of the beanbag. He stood for a moment before she finally yelled at him, "You heard me…Go Home!"

Carly put a hand on his shoulder. "Your part is pretty much done. Sam and I are just going over our lines and stuff anyway. Go home and rest. We'll let you know if there's any changes."

Freddie dragged his backpack beside him as he headed for the door. He turned to wave bye to Carly and Sam, but Sam was busy with her phone. Carly watched sadly as Freddie walked away. Once he was out of sight, she rounded on Sam.

"Why are you so mad at Freddie?" Carly yelled. "He's done everything you've asked him to do. If this about the whole cheating thing, it was an accident, Sam! He didn't mean to tell, and he's already gotten detention for it!"

"I know! You're right!" Sam didn't argue. She pushed a few more buttons on her phone before she hoisted herself out of the beanbag. "Besides, it's not Freddie I'm mad at right now." She sighed and pushed one last button on her phone before putting it away and clearing the studio.

Carly suddenly understood and her mood softened. "It was nice of you to take care of him like that."

"Well, He _is_ my pony," Sam smiled. "It was either that, or shoot him."

Freddie had just reached the door of the Shay's apartment when he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out and read the txt message:

_I M rlly sry, Freddie_ = (

_Call U L8R? Lv Meany._

Freddie gave a quick look up the stairs. He simply replied =) before finally heading home.

**

* * *

**

Well that was fun (I hope). Poor exhausted Freddie! We'll have to see what fun stuff the next day holds.

**YAY! Credits: **

**MLP name (Sparkletoes Flitterfluff) came from SilverCloudLullaby. Not only was it the most humiliating of the bunch, but it also had a perfect nickname tie in (Sparky). Double Win!!!**

**The Hot Girl's name (Alana Michaels) comes courtesy of Hypo'Lana (sounds familiar, hmmm?) and absolutelyM. There is a really ironic story to this name… that I will tell in the next chapter.**

**chap 4 ideas from: whosconfused, The Archduke, Basco57, and SilverClourLullaby (2 in 1 chapter, Lullaby? Awesome!) Thanks everyone! Some of you had great ideas that I will use in later chapters.**

**The Potty Song I saw on youtube by a guy named matthewneese (and his cute kids). It made me laugh. Check it out if you wanna.**

**So the next interactive questions should be fun:**

**1. How would you describe our three OC's Gabriel Asher (hot guy), Mousy Girl (name not given yet) and Alana Michaels (Hot Girl). We have a physical description for Alana, but know nothing else about her. Gabe and Mousy are complete blank slates, so physical features and personalities are totally open. Is hot guy, a nice guy or bad boy? Does mousy girl speak with a lisp? I know you guys are gonna have some great ideas! Can't Wait!**

**2. Which is better, a Friday night date, or a Saturday afternoon date, and what activities would you do at either. Be specific! DETAILS PEOPLE, DETAILS!!! J/K, but the more you can give me, the better.**

**Since some of you may be able to write volumes on these questions…feel free to PM me if it's gonna get long. If you're not sure how to PM, just go through my profile and click "send message". Don't get so excited you forget to review the chapter, though. That's what helps me keep on track! I got my dancing shoes all ready…and electricity to bump some music with! Woot Woot!!! (Sorry, got a little excited there.)**

**Luna**


	5. Hotties and Notties

**Hello Again! Well I could give you some big schpeel about why I didn't update...blah blah blah…Let's just say, it's been a very interesting week and life doesn't always do what you expect it to. Cryptic, I know!!! But on with the show...**

**When last we left our quarrelsome duo, Sam was pretty mean to Freddie, and Freddie (or shall I say Sparkletoes Flitterfluff) was a bit pooped. Oh, and Freddie embarrassed himself, yet again (for the sake of Sam) with the Potty song!**

**So how did Sam get such a good grade on the test? Will Freddie forgive her for torturing him? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? All this and more will be answered in this chapter…except for the Tootsie Pop thing, because, you know…"The world may never know."**

**Disclaimer: I would like to say right now, that I _do_ in fact own iCarly. I'd like to say that I am entirely and solely responsible for all of the great characters and their witty banter. I'd also like to say that I make a butt load of money and am adored by millions of people worldwide! I'd like to say these things...but much like my DD bra size…it is a lie. Sorry to shatter the illusion. Maybe you could go cry with the tooth fairy.**

* * *

Freddie had collapsed in his bed as soon as he got home. He didn't shower, he didn't eat, and he didn't do his French homework. He had no idea what time it was when he finally woke up, but the apartment was very dark and eerily quiet. His aching muscles and his odorific smell told him he really needed to take a shower. When he finally peeled himself out of bed to look at the clock, it was 4:30 am. He hobbled over to the dresser to start picking his clothes for the day. _Maybe if I get ready now, I can get my homework done before school._ He felt a knot in his shoulder when he reached into his closet, and cursed himself for ever betting with Sam.

He climbed in the shower and let the hot water run over him. The warm water was doing wonders for relieving his soreness. A couple good stretches and he was feeling human again. He dressed for school and headed toward the kitchen to rummage through the refrigerator. Surely his mom left something from dinner last night. He was reaching for a glass when he heard something outside of the apartment door. _Who on earth is awake at this hour?_ He peeked through the peephole and saw a mass of blond curls bending down in his doorway. He quickly unlocked the door and opened it before she could make it back to Carly's.

"Sam," he called. "What are you doing?"

She slowly turned around with a guilty look on her face. Her eyes floated down toward his feet. He followed where she was looking, and there on the floor in front of him was a small bouquet. The stems were made of carrots and on the ends were radishes and apple peels shaped into flowers.

"It's all stuff a horse can eat," Sam smiled as he picked it up. "Spencer helped me with it. I was hoping it could be a peace offering…maybe?" Freddie didn't say a word, but silently played with the shapes formed in the bouquet. "I'm really sorry, Freddie!" She continued softly. "I never meant to make you sick. Sometimes I just push too far without thinking."

Freddie looked at her standing nervously by the door. She was wearing the same pajamas she usually kept at Carly's for impromptu sleepovers. "You're up early."

"More like up late! Haven't been to sleep yet." She rubbed her eyes.

"Oh… It's kind of late to go to bed now. You hungry?" he smiled.

Sam gave him a look that he understood as _seriously dork?_

'Right," he laughed. "Well, I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday…and Mariana's Cafe opens at 6:00. If you can get ready in the next 15 minutes, I'll treat you to breakfast," he smiled.

Sam didn't say a word. A huge smile spread across her face, and she rushed back through Carly's door. Freddie laughed as he went inside to finish gathering his things for school. When he went back to grab his phone, he saw that he had missed 4 txts from Sam and 7 calls from Carly. He smiled to himself. _They were worried about me!_ 10 minutes later he was ready to walk out the door; Sam was already there waiting.

"You do realize we're going straight to school afterward?" he asked, seeing that she didn't have anything with her.

"Yeah. I left Carly a note telling her we'd meet her there," she said zipping up her hoodie.

"Where's your backpack?"

"Eh…like I said yesterday, I took home all the stuff that I didn't need," she shrugged.

Freddie laughed then strapped his backpack to his front. "Ready?"

Sam smiled, surprised that he was still willing to go through with the bet after the way she treated him. She climbed up on his back. "Onward Sparky!"

******************************************

Carly waited near the lockers for them before first period. She finally saw Freddie lumbering up the hallway, but all she could see of Sam was the top of her head. She pointed at Sam when Freddie walked up to her.

"She fell asleep on the bus on the way here," He explained trying to keep her steady. "Guess she can't hold her waffles!" He laughed and nearly inhaled a piece of her hair that was tickling his face.

"Spencer said she didn't sleep." Carly said pulling Sam's hair out of his face. "Here, let's take her into English and she can sleep in there.

Carly led Freddie to the classroom and they tried to delicately let Sam down into her desk. She was a bit more out of it than they figured. Before they could get her seated, she slid out of the chair and fell right at Carly's feet.

"How can she sleep like this?" Freddie grunted. He grabbed her from behind and lifted her to her chair, while Carly moved her feet under the desk. After another small struggle, they finally got her into her seat with her head resting peacefully on the desk.

"I don't know, but when she's out, she's out, and nothing wakes her," Carly said dusting herself off.

"Aw Man!" Freddie whined, pulling at his shirt. "She drooled all over my shoulder!"

"Ok, she's my best friend, and I love her and all that," Carly frowned, "but that's just gross!"

"My mom makes me keep a clean shirt in my locker...in case of Sam," he looked down at Sam who was scowling in her sleep. "I'm gonna go change before class."

He quickly ran to his locker and dialed the combination. When he opened the door, a stack of papers fell out and scattered all over the floor. He scrambled to pick them up before they got mangled. When he finally got them all back, he looked at the papers. It was the French homework assignment…completed…with his name on them. _What the…?_ He looked around quickly. Nobody seemed to be paying any attention. He looked over them again for any sign of who might have left them. _Nothing! But who…?_ The bell rang to signal 10 minutes until class started. He rolled them up in his hand and grabbed his clean shirt. He'd have to figure this mystery out later. Freddie changed and got back to class a couple minutes before the bell rang. Once he reached his seat, he pulled out the papers.

"What's that?" Carly asked seeing the puzzled look on his face.

"The French homework from last night." He couldn't shake the curiosity

"Cool, I didn't think you'd get to finished it," she smiled.

"Actually, I didn't even start it. I just found this in my locker." He handed her the paper. "Why would someone do the homework and sign my name to it?"

"You were really tired yesterday," Carly searched to explain. "Maybe you did it and don't remember." Actually, she was just as puzzled as Freddie.

"No, I wasn't in class, so I don't know exactly what they were doing." He took it back and started flipping through the mystery homework.

The bell rang and the teacher breezed in. Freddie put the paper back in his bag and dug for his books. Carly leaned over trying to wake Sam before Mrs. Blithe noticed her sleeping and marked her absent again. Carly wasn't having any luck, though. Sam just kept swatting her hand away.

"I got her," Freddie whispered. He reached into his bag and pulled out a greasy napkin. He unwrapped 2 pieces of bacon and waved them under her nose for a couple seconds.

Sam's head immediately popped up and she swiftly grabbed the bacon from his hand. "I'm here!" she yelled.

"Glad to hear it Sam!" Mrs. Blithe giggled and the rest of the class laughed with her. Freddie nervously laughed expecting Sam to be embarrassed and angry. When he looked over at her, she was sat back smiling, savoring her bacon.

******************************************

They made it through 1st period and 2nd period without Sam falling asleep again. In fact Sam had her best time ever in 2nd period. The teacher kept raving about how well she did on the Geometry test and told the rest of the class they should follow her example. Freddie just groaned and tried to convince Mr. Lewis to let the class do extra credit.

When the bell rang, Freddie was finally glad the period was over. This had been the longest week ever. He lifted Sam onto his back and headed for the halls. He waited for Carly to trade her books, and grumbled as kids came and congratulated Sam. Carly had finally finished and they were just about to leave when Gabriel Asher came walking up.

"Hey guys," Gabe nodded to them. Carly giggled and dropped her book on Freddie's toe. Freddie hopped around in pain, nearly knocking Sam off of his back. Gabe reached behind her to steady her, and then picked up the book.

"So Sam," he said pointing to Freddie. "I see you won the bet," he smiled, all dimples and white teeth.

"All thanks to you," Sam smiled excitedly. "Meet my pony Sparkletoes Flitterfluff!" Sam laughed as she pet Freddie's head, then she leaned to Gabe, "I call him Sparky,".

"It's Freddie," he sighed in exasperation as he introduced himself to Gabe.

"And this is my best friend Carly," Sam pointed at the giggly brunette.

"Hi," Carly waved nervously.

"And this is yours?" Gabe asked handing the book to her. "Actually I feel like I know you guys already. I love your show!"

"So how do you know Sam?" Freddie asked, since all Carly could manage to do was giggle.

"Oh," Sam smiled. "I just helped him with a little pest problem."

"Yeah," Gabe laughed. "Libby James was a pest, but thanks to Sam, she's no longer a problem."

"Ha ha ha, I like your laugh," Carly giggled.

"Thanks…" Gabe said uncomfortably. "So Sam…obviously you got a B on the test."

"Nope!"

Gabe looked at her confused. "Then what did you get?"

"Tell him Sparky!"

"She got an A," Freddie mumbled.

"What's that?" She said leaning over his shoulder. "We couldn't quite hear you there, Fredward."

Freddie gave a heavy sigh and said loudly, "She got an A!"

"Hey! Nice work, Sam!" Gabe gave her fist bump. "Looks like you and I have a date tomorrow!"

"Why yes," she smiled. "I think it does."

"Cool. I have a soccer match in the morning, but the rest of the day is all yours!" He laughed. "I gotta go to class, but I'll txt you later to set it up." He waved at Freddie and Carly. "It was nice meeting you," he said as he disappeared around the corner.

Carly let out scream like a little fan girl. "Oh my God, his voice is all grrr, and I love his green eyes!"

"And his hair," Sam smiled. "I just want to run my fingers through that dark silky mop and mess it up even more," she said unconsciously pulling Freddie's hair.

"What about those arms! And those _tight, tight_ abs!" Carly grunted in appreciation.

"Oh yes, Carls, the arms are nice," Sam agreed. "But I wanna get my hands on that butt and play them like a nice tight set of bongos!"

"Ungh," Freddie whined. "Can you please stop? That's really disturbing!"

"Oh, don 't dent your hard drive, geek boy," Sam rolled her eyes. "We're just appreciating a fine specimen of nature."

"Oh, yes," Carly nodded. "Very fine!"

"So anyway Sam," Freddie glared. "Why did you say you won the bet thanks to him?"

"Because he tutored me…Duh, Dork!" She knocked on his head.

"You mean he's smart, too?" Carly gushed. "Wait, how would you even know?"

They started walking toward class while Sam told the story. "It was weird," she started. "Freddie and I made that bet on Monday after 2nd period, right? Before 4th period I went to get a book from my locker and someone had shoved a note in there. It said 'I know about the bet. Talk to Gabriel Asher. I think you two can help each other.' I didn't think any more about it, but he caught me just before lunch. Turns out, the note was right."

"So how did he get you to study when nobody else can," Freddie smirked.

"Let's just say the boy's a great motivator. He said if I pass he'd take me to the Seattle City Fair tomorrow. All I had to do was watch those luscious lips of his, and I remembered every word.

"Oh, yeah," Carly cooed. "He does have luscious lips, and those shoulders!"

"And that neck you just wanna nibble on for a while…" Sam added.

"Stop already!" Freddie turned to Carly and yelled! "You guys are disgusting!"

"Aww," Carly frowned. "Don't be jealous! I mean just because he's hot and shaves and…"

"I shave!" he interrupted.

"We weren't talking about your legs, Princess" Sam teased.

"Well, not everyone has as much hair on their lip as you do Sam!" he shot back.

"Hey listen Nub!" Sam started to argue, but then Carly let out a loud whistle.

"Stop it!" Carly yelled as loud as she could. "And don't upset Sam, Freddie," she scolded. "She's got a date tomorrow…a really hot date with a super hot guy, and Oh my God!" She grabbed Sam's hands and started jumping up and down. Sam tried jumping too, but Freddie was still holding her.

"Uh, come on Sparky!" she pulled. "Let's get excited here!"

Freddie rolled his eyes and jumped up and down while the girls screamed and giggled. After a few seconds, Carly and Sam's excitement started dying down, but Freddie kept going stronger. In fact, he was now genuinely excited about something. Sam tried pulling him to a stop but she was getting bucked around.

"Whoa, there boy!" Carly finally grabbed him. "And just why are you so excited?"

"Because," he grinned brightly, "I just realized that Sam probably doesn't want _me_ tagging along on their date, so she's gotta let me out of the bet!"

Sam frowned realizing the oversight. "Nah…I'll just let you out for the day."

"Nope! No deal!" He smirked and started strutting down the hallway. "Either I'm out or you are, which will it be Puckett?"

"Be reasonable, dude!" Sam argued. "I'm not letting you go!"

"Then you'll have to cancel your date!"

"Sam, No!" Carly scolded.

Freddie looked back to smirk at Sam and ran right into Heather Preston, sending all three of them to the floor. Freddie helped Heather up while Carly checked on Sam.

"Sorry about that, Heather," he said pulling her to her feet.

"S'alright, I get that a lot, actually...being so small, and all." Heather was the same age as them, but she topped out at 4'10" and was very petite. "Maybe I should start wearing an orange suit and a hat with flashy lights on top."

Carly and Sam laughed as they handed her the books she dropped.

"Yeah, or maybe _they_ should stop arguing in the halls!" she glared at Sam.

"Who said we were arguing," Sam said exasperated.

"Everyone," Heather laughed. "Pardon me for saying, but what if…" She backed away when she saw Sam glare at her.

"Don't mind her," Freddie said pulling Sam away. "What were you going to say?"

She reluctantly looked at Sam. "Why don't you just make it a double date?" She spoke so softly that they almost couldn't hear her.

Sam slid over to Heather and put her arm around the tiny girl's shoulders. "Kid, you got some smarts in you!" She pulled out her phone and quickly sent a txt. "I'll tell Gabe that it's a double date."

"Who's the double," Freddie asked suspiciously.

"Me and Gabe, and you and Heather!" She climbed on Freddie's back while He and Heather looked at each other dumbfounded. Freddie looked to Carly for help.

"We better get to class," Carly shrugged.

Freddie gave Heather a quick look that said "sorry," then turned around and headed quickly for class. Carly followed the "pony" and his rider with a slight smile on her face. Whatever this was, it was highly amusing, and she's glad she wasn't a part of it.

******************************************

Freddie had to wait for Sam to get out of detention before they could go to Carly's for the show. They decided to bring smoothies, since they were already late. Carly was helping Spencer with a sculpture when she heard them come to the door, and as usual they were already fighting.

"I don't want to go on a date with Heather, Sam!" Freddie yelled.

"Why not, I already set it up," Sam argued handing the smoothies to Carly. "Take her Benson, she's the only girl not running away from you and screaming!"

"What's going on?" Spencer asked before taking a drink.

"Sam's got a date tomorrow," Carly started.

"With a HOT guy!" Sam corrected.

"Oh, yeah he is!" Carly smiled. "Anyway, she's stuck with Freddie and the horse thing, so she set up a double date for him with Heather Preston, and Freddie doesn't want to go."

"Eww, She a barker?" Spencer grimaced.

"No, not really," Freddie shrugged. "She's just…"

Carly ran to the bookshelf by the stairs to get her yearbook, and quickly turned to Heather's picture. She had big blue-green eyes and a sprinkling of freckles all over her perky nose and rosy cheeks. What little smile she did have was a bit crooked with a tiny dimple at the corner of her mouth. Her hair was strawberry blond and very fine. It was tucked back revealing her small pointy ears.

"Aww, she's so cute!" Spencer smiled.

"Yeah, for a pixie!" Freddie grumbled.

"Hey, that's what Gabe called her!" Sam laughed. Carly looked at her curiously. "I told him that she was coming along as Freddie's date, and he said, 'Pixie's coming? Cool!' Then he said Freddie better be nice to her, or else. He knows her from art class or something, and said she's really cool!"

"How would he know, she hardly ever talks!" Freddie grumbled. "If I wanted to talk to myself, I'd just talk to Sam in history class."

"You know,Freddie," Spencer smiled, "sometimes you gotta watch out for those quiet ones!"

"We gotta get ready for the show." Carly said as her alarm went off. "Just give her a chance, Freddie. She was funny this afternoon, she might surprise you!"

"That's right, she was." Sam agreed. "You're only acting like this to be difficult!"

Freddie turned his head to argue with her and knocked into her smoothie, spilling a little down his neck. "Aw, Sam!" he grumbled.

"Aw Sam?" She yelled back. "You're the one that knocked into it, you nub!"

"I'll get a napkin," Carly sighed.

"Forget it," Sam stopped her. "I paid for it, and I'm not wasting it." She pulled down his collar a bit and licked the smoothie from his collarbone all the way up to behind his ear. Carly and Spencer watched Freddie's eyes roll up in his head and they swore his knees buckled a little bit. The siblings smiled knowingly at each other as Freddie tried to hide the pink rising in his cheeks.

"Fine," he squeaked. He cleared his throat and continued, "I'll go with Heather tomorrow.

"Good boy!" Sam cooed as she started petting his head.

Freddie closed his eyes to the sensation again as a blush started to rise in his cheeks. When he finally opened them, he saw Carly and Spencer trying to hold back their laughter. "Let's just go do the show," he finally mumbled.

"Alright," Carly giggled and headed to the elevator with Sam and Freddie. "You still helping Spencer?"

"Let me just change my shirt. I'll be up in two minutes," he said running toward his room.

***********************************************

"In 5..4..3..2," Spencer counted down, and went into a tight close up of Carly.

"I'm Carly!"

"And I'm Sam!"

"And I'm Sparkletoes Flitterfluff," Freddie said blandly. He was dressed in a long pink wig with a purple sparkly sash across his chest, and Sam was sitting on his back.

"And this is iCarly!" the girls said excitedly.

"Woo!" Freddie gave a half-hearted cheer.

"Spencer is helping us out with the camera tonight while Freddie's out here with us," Sam announced. "Say hi to the audience Spencer." She hit the cheer button on her little remote.

"Hi Audience," Spencer broke in with a high squeaky voice.

"Why is Freddie dressed this way, you might ask." Carly continued. "Tell the fine viewers Sam!"

"I finally fulfilled a lifelong wish, and I have my own My Little Pony! Tell them why Sparky!" She said excitedly.

"Because I lost a bet." He frowned.

"And what else do you have to say to the fine viewers?" Sam smiled.

Freddie sighed deeply, and Sam grabs a little tighter as he starts to do a little dance and sing:

_Sam's Little Pony, Sam's Little Pony._

_I have to take her where she wants to go. _

_Sam's Little Pony, Sam's Little Pony._

_Cause my betting skills really blow._

_She's so much better, and I'll never get her,_

_Why couldn't I let it be?_

_Sam's Little Pony, Sam's Little Pony,_

(He grabbed the camera urgently.) _Will someone please help me?_

* * *

**Woo hoo! Number five, is finally live!**

**So we have a bit of a mystery here. Who's been stuffing notes into the lockers? Yay, we finally meet mousy girl!**

**Credits:**

**Chap 5 ideas from Basco 57, TheArchduke, AwkwardSquirrel and SilverCloudLullaby who is a master at characterization! If I used one of your ideas and forgot, please tell me! (I forget a lot.)**

**Heather's name is courtesy of Coffee Noodles (Heather) and Drown-in-Sequins (Preston). I also used the name Libby James (the pest that Sam gets rid of). That name came from Coffee Noodles and HarrissBoBarriss! Thanks bunches guys! Oh, and Absolutely M, got you in there too!**

**So speaking of names, I told you last chapter I'd tell you an ironic story about the names: In chapter 1, I asked you guys to submit names. I had already chosen all three names before I started chapter 2. I decided to Google them to see if they were anybody real that I should worry about. Alana Michaels and Heather Preston are both names of real people. Ok, that's not the weird part. Alana Michaels popped up on this networking site for models. Yes, she's a model! There was a small photo of her, and she's got eyes like Jennette McCurdy, and dark hair like Miranda Cosgrove. Strange, right? It gets stranger. Heather Preston is a doctor that graduated from Oxford, and Harvard, with some molecular biology degree. She now heads up some biotech company. Anyway, what does she look like? She's got fine, strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, and she's a bit mousy…although she's not as pixieish as the Heather in the story. I went off of your descriptions to write miss Mousy, but this was just bizarre!**

**As long as you're looking stuff up, I used a bunch of your descriptions for Gabe, and I found a picture of someone to use as inspiration. His name is Matt Cohen (the actor, not the attorney). He was in some show called _South of Nowhere_, (dunno, never saw it). Anyway, I thought Gabe was a lot like him, but a little smaller.**

**Finally, we have short interactive questions for you this time.**

**1. They are going to a fair, lots of food, rides, music, games, and trouble to get into. What kinds of things should they do at the fair?**

**2. What would you say as an excuse to get out of something you didn't want to do?**

**As always, Read and Review. You know I love it!**


	6. It could be worse!

**Hello Party Peoples! So did everyone enjoy their little break while I was off fighting the Demons of Apathy? Yeah, me neither. I seriously need a life! I've got myself a wicked case of the Don'ts, born of boredom right now, so feel free to yell at me so I can get over it!**

**On to happier stuff! Note to Self: Audience enjoys mousy girls named Heather, butt bongos, and licking smoothies off of dorks. I'm loving the reviews! You guys definitely had you're favorite moment this time. I think I might have said they were going to the Fair in the this chapter, but sometimes I lie for my own amusement. I found this little rabbit hole I'm dragging you down while I iron out the rest of the story. And yes, this chapter was 90% for my own amusement…and hopefully yours.**

**Disclaimer: If you saw it on iCarly…it belongs to some other mad genius. (Boring for me, I know. A sad victim in my recent war. I'll work on it next time)**

* * *

Freddie thought that the worst of Sam's torture had happened the day before. He was sadly mistaken. An hour after he made a boob of himself to the whole world on iCarly, he was forced to shlep Sam from store to store in the mall to get stuff for "The Date." That was until _this_ store.

The trio had drawn more than a little attention from the other shoppers. The cries of "Please Freddie, for me," were falling on defiant ears as Carly pulled Freddie's arm, like he were a toddler

"No! You can't make me go in there!" he stalled outside of the pink frilly-faced store. His feet were dug into the tile and he had no intention of budging.

"Oh, come on you big baby," Sam yelled at him. "The deal was you'd take me wherever I wanted with no complaints, and right now, _we_ want to go in there!"

"Look Sam," he yelled at her reflection in the window. "I didn't say a thing when you tried every color of nail polish on me at Euphoria. I still have the taste of perfume in my throat from the samples you sprayed at Scentsational. I helped you guys dig through a million and a half earrings and bracelets at Blair's Boutique, and even let you lick 14 different flavors off my hand at Glitter Gloss," he shuddered with disgust. "I have been your test dummy, your personal gopher, and your pack mule," he emphasized by holding up the collected shopping bags. "But this is where I draw the line! I absolutely will not step foot inside that store!"

"Alright," Sam groaned, still clinging to his back.

"Sam," Carly whined at her. "You _absolutely_ need this!"

"Yeah, I know," she smiled at Carly. "Will you at least drop me off at the door Fredly?" she asked pulling him that direction.

"I'll let you off at the door, but that's it," he said with a smug happiness at his victory.

Carly smiled as she ran over and held the door open. Freddie happily carried Sam over to the entrance and stood in the open doorway. He released her knees and she slid gracefully down his hips and to the floor. Just as he finished adjusting his disheveled shirt, he felt a strong push against his backside. Next thing he knew, he was laying spread eagle in the middle of a pink satiny nightmare called Build-a-Bra. He was sure there were at least 400 pairs of eyes on him, as he lay there. Ok, maybe there weren't _that_ many people in the store, but there were definitely a lot of pairs of something.

Carly and Sam shuffled up to him. "Glad you decided to come in Fredward," Sam smirked. "Oh, you might want to dust off that size 6 shoe print off your butt," she laughed as she offered him a hand up.

"I think there's some couches over by the dressing rooms," Carly giggled. "You can wait there for us."

Freddie dragged the bags behind him as he padded over to the couches. He gave a cordial smile to a twenty-something guy in a baseball cap, who was already waiting there. "Wow, dude. That's harsh!" The guy smiled. "That girlfriend of yours is a little spitfire!"

"She's not my girlfriend," Freddie grumbled.

The guy smiled and shook his head at Freddie in amused sympathy. "Dude."

After about 10 minutes of waiting Freddie realized that, although he watched every woman who walked into the dressing room, he had no idea what any of their faces looked like. He pulled out his phone and started playing a game when he saw Sam and Carly go into the dressing rooms. Distractions were absolutely essential if he planned to survive past this present location.

He was just getting to level 3 of Killer Ninjas when a pink polka dotted bra covered his screen. He looked up to see Carly peeking around the corner. "I need something like that but with a light padding," she smiled. "Can you please go find it?"

"Why can't you do it?" he groaned. The man next to him chuckled under his breath.

"Because she's not happy, and I'm busy trying to keep her from tearing the mirror off of the wall," she hissed as she peeked back over at Sam's door.

"Fine," he grumbled as he grabbed the bags and shoved his phone back into his pocket. As far as Freddie was concerned there were some things he was better off not knowing about his best friends. That she'd be wearing a pink polka dotted lightly padded strapless bra in whatever size he still didn't understand was probably one of them.

Do they have any idea what a place like this does to a growing boy's …er, head? Freddie tried looking around for a rack that had the same bras. He saw push up this, padded that, and racks and racks of satiny material full of empty promises. He finally spotted a mannequin displaying a purple polka dotted one in the corner. _Sam likes purple!_

He leaned over in front of the headless figure to check out the padding, but couldn't quite tell if it was right. He finally dropped the bags by his feet; there was only one way this was going to work. Luckily he was hidden in the corner. _The only thing that could make this worse is if my mother were here!_ Once he was sure no one was watching, he cupped the breasts on the mannequin with both hands and gently squeezed to try and get a sense of the thickness of the padding.

After two or three squeezes he felt a presence over his shoulder and froze. "You know, they feel a little different when she's not made of plastic," a smooth voice teased quietly in his ear.

Freddie slowly turned his head toward the voice to see another pair of breasts next to him. Only these were definitely more real. He looked up to their owner then pulled his hands off the mannequin so quick you'd have thought they were burning him. _Oh man, why couldn't it have just been my mother!_

"Alana?!" A nervous smile spread across his obviously red cheeks. He went to move away from the mannequin, but he tripped on the bags that were still at his feet. He grabbed onto the mannequin to steady himself, and the figure with the severed head became severed from the rest of the display. "I…uh," he stammered nervously now holding the mannequin torso in his hands. He looked over at her and laughed nervously.

"Can I help you?" Freddie turned to see a sales woman approaching him with a less than pleased look on her face.

"Uh, Yeah," Freddie said nervously. "I'm looking for a…" He nervously looked over his shoulder only to see Alana walking away with a sly smile on her face…and a red bra dangled teasingly over her shoulder.

Freddie thrust the mannequin at the sales woman . "There's a girl named Carly, with long black hair, in the dressing room helping a rude little blonde. Ask her," he sighed. He picked up the bags and headed toward the door. He called back over his shoulder, "And tell her I'll be outside with my head in the fountain!"

************************************************************************

They were supposed to meet their dates at the Groovy Smoothie at 2:00. It was already 1:30 and Freddie was tired of brooding alone. The girls had been holed up in Carly's room getting ready all morning. _It's just a date to the fair_! He finally gave up and went across the hall. Maybe time would pass faster there.

He knocked twice before walking into the familiar apartment. "Hey Spencer, is Sam…?" Freddie looked over at the dining room to see Spencer standing knee-deep in a large tub of tapioca pudding and wearing a rubber suit and snorkeling mask. He was stretching toward a plate on the table that was just inches out of his reach.

"Hey Freddie," the man-child answered cheerfully. " I bet you're wondering what I'm doing in this Tub-O-Tapioca!" He pushed himself up straight and started jogging in the tub, pulling his feet out with a squishy pop.

Freddie considered for a second, but knew that any explanation probably wouldn't make up for the sight in front of him. "Not really. No"

"Oh," Spencer looked crestfallen. "Well, then could you bring me that towel over there so I can finally get out and eat my sandwich?"

Freddie grabbed the towel from the couch next to him and headed toward Spencer. "So is Sam ready yet?"

The boys turned sharply as they heard Carly yelling from the top of the stairs. "If you pull that out of your hair before I'm done, Sam, I swear I'm going to snatch you bald!" She ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. The boys watched as she frantically yanked open drawers and pulled out random items.

"I'm guessing, No," Spencer smiled. He stepped out onto the towel and took a seat so he could start wiping the pudding off of his legs.

Carly now had her arms loaded with a spatula, cling wrap, a jar of mayonnaise, and a plastic trash bag. "What are you doing?" Freddie laughed as she tried to balance it all.

"No time to talk!" She looked up from her scavenger hunt for a second and smiled. "Hey, you look nice!" She started rummaging through the drawer again until she found a large rubber band. "I gotta get back to Sam before she undoes everything." She ran around the counter and toward the stairs.

"Don't forget the Sandwich!" Sam yelled from upstairs. Without pausing Carly made a wide swoop back to the dining room and grabbed Spencer's sandwich from his hands just as he was getting ready to take a bite.

"Hey," Spencer yelled.

"Thank You," Carly called over her shoulder.

"You better hurry or we're gonna be late," Freddie yelled as she ran up the stairs.

"Shut up, Freddie!" Carly yelled back, then paused just short of the top steps. "Sam! How did you manage to even put that on upside-down!" She let out a loud groan, then trudged up the stairs to help Sam."

Spencer pulled off the snorkel mask and went back to cleaning his feet. "So you seem a bit eager for this date."

"Eager to get it over with," Freddie pouted.

"Ah, come on, Freddio!" Spencer chuckled. "Sam said she's an artist, she can't be all that bad, right?"

"I guess not," Freddie grumbled as he plopped down on one of the counter stools. "It just gonna look like I'm dating my little sister!"

Spencer looked up at Freddie in confusion. "But you don't have a little sister."

"Spencer," Freddie rolled his eyes.

"Well look at it this way," Spencer walked over to Freddie. "She's probably completely unattracted to you too!" He smiled.

"Spencer!" Freddie shouted angrily.

"Ok, Sorry!" Spencer leaned against the counter. "All I'm saying is that it sounds like she got roped into this thing just as bad as you did. Since neither of you had the guts to say no, why don't you just try to make the best of it. At worst you go back to ignoring each other in the halls like before. At best you have a great time, start dating…maybe bring her over for a visit and let me play with her cute little ears." Spencer giggled and made little pinching movements with his fingers, making Freddie laugh.

"You're a somewhat entertaining guy, and she doesn't sound so bad," Spencer continued as he popped a grape in his mouth. "Most likely what will happen is that by the end of the date you'll have had a good time, and made a new friend."

Spencer smiled warmly seeing Freddie relax a bit. "I guess you're right," Freddie smiled. "I'm making a bigger deal than it…"

Freddie was interrupted as Carly eagerly ran down the stairs. She stopped on the bottom step and smiled at them brightly. "Gentlemen, may I present Miss Samantha Puckett!"

Carly raised her arm toward the stairs and Freddie saw a pair of white strappy platform sandals take a step or two down the stairs. He turned around to pick a couple grapes from the bowl and saw Spencer straighten up with a big goofy grin on his face. Freddie turned slowly to follow his gaze and saw what was so amazing. The shoes weren't the only things different on Sam. She was wearing a flirty strapless sky blue dress. Her hair was pulled half up so it was off of her face, and her curls danced gracefully across her shoulders.

"Well, how does she look?" Carly was nearly exploding with pride at her creation.

"Sassy!" Spencer yelled with the goofy grin still plastered to his face.

"What about you, Freddie?" Carly smiled. "Honest guy's opinion?'

Freddie was practically speechless as he walked over to them.

"Well dork," Sam asked uncomfortably.

_Well, what am I supposed to say? I've never seen your eyes look so blue? The way the sun catches your hair makes you look like you're glowing? I like how the dress lays in all the right places making you look graceful and accents your…Oh! Now I understand the reason for the emergency trip to Build-a-Bra!…That you look amazing, all for some guy who barely knows you? She's Samantha again!_ Freddie unconsciously frowned a bit.

"You don't like it?" Carly sounded a bit crushed.

"No!!!" Freddie hastily corrected her. "She looks amazing! Really…you look beautiful Sam," He smiled sincerely at her just long enough for her to uncomfortably return the smile. "It's just that…"

"Just what Freddie?" Carly was starting to sound a bit angry now.

"Well, we're going to a carnival…and I thought the whole point of _me_ going on this date was because you still planned to make me go through with the bet. How are you going to…?"

Sam didn't scowl or say a word. She just turned around and stomped back upstairs. Carly and Freddie both frowned as they watched her go. Only Spencer caught the small smile she gave as she headed out of sight. Carly grunted in frustration then turned and thumped Freddie on his forehead. She ran up the stairs after Sam to help chose another outfit. Spencer laughed as he went to get Freddie a piece of ice to keep his forehead from swelling for his date. "Well Sparky, you're doing great so far," Spencer laughed.

Another 10 minutes had past and Carly came back down, but in a much more waspish disposition. "She's ready. She's just putting on her shoes," Carly grumbled as she grabbed a couple grapes from the bowl.

They all turned to watch as Sam came bouncing down the stairs in a much lighter mood. She was wearing Carly's swingy yellow tank top with a blue bird flying at her waist. She wore dark denim shorts and her signature oddball tennis shoes.

_There's Sam!_ A smile spread across Freddie's face as he stood and walked toward her. "This is much more appropriate for the fair!" He leaned toward her and said softly, "And you still look beautiful." Sam tried to stifle a smile as he turned around and let her climb on his back.

"Our dates should be there soon," Freddie said as he made his way toward the door.

Sam waved to Carly and Spencer, "Bye kids! Don't wait up for us!" Then they disappeared out the door.

The Shay siblings stood for a few seconds looking at the closed door. "Suddenly I'm feeling like a smoothie," Carly said eagerly.

"I'll go change," Spencer answered as he bounded to his room.

************************************************************************

The Groovy Smoothie was pretty crowded for a Saturday afternoon, and thanks to Freddie's nagging, they were about 10 minutes early. "There's a table over there Fredwaldo." Sam pointed to a table in the corner by the bar stools. Freddie zigzagged his way through the maze of patrons and arrived at the table just as a large biker dude pulled up a chair. He had biceps the size of melons and a tattoo of a sledgehammer that said Bone Crusher across his entire chest. Sam glared at the beefy dude and said in a low growl, "LEAVE."

Biker Dude looked at Freddie (who only shrank back and nodded at Sam), then stood up and glared down at Sam. The room was so quiet they could almost hear the clock tick as Sam and Biker Dude stood locked fiercely on each other's eyes. Sam narrowed her glare. It was like daggers shooting out of her cool blue eyes…and Biker Dude blinked! He let out a small chuckle and tipped his cup to Sam before sauntering out the door.

Sam slid off of Freddie's back and took her seat. The restaurant erupted in applause and T-Bo came up to the table. "Woo, Itty-Bitty!" he smiled at Sam. "That man was all kinds of scary. Whatever you guys want, it's on the house!"

Sam and Freddie smiled. "Mango Merry Mambo for me," Freddie ordered, "and…Berry Banana Fo Fanna?" He questioned Sam.

"Why not," Sam shrugged. T-Bo snapped his fingers and pointed at Sam and Freddie as he left the table. "Oh, and you better add a double shot of Anti-Weenie Boost for the dork here!" Sam yelled as T-Bo slid behind the counter.

Carly and Spencer walked in the door and made a beeline right for them. "Man, did you see that dude that just walked out of here," Spencer said in awe. The two just nodded their heads. "He had muscles out to here and a chest as big as a…Ooh, they have Manguava –a-go-go!" He headed up to the counter to order.

"Make it two!" Carly yelled behind him. She took a seat at the table with her two friends. "So any sign of Lover Boy and Little Sprite?"

"Ha Ha," Freddie said annoyed. "Not yet, but it's just now 2:00." They sat there in silence and Freddie was noticing Carly trying to hide a fit of the giggles. "What is it?"

"It's just so cute! You two out on a date," she laughed.

"_We're_ not on a date!" Freddie clarified by swinging his index finger between him and Sam. "Me on a date with Sam would be as ludicrous as a Llama in library!" Freddie scoffed.

"And if your brains were concrete, it wouldn't make a runway for a mosquito!" Sam shot back at him.

Carly was about to jump in and stop the arguing when T-Bo came to the table and put the smoothies in front of them. "I gave you an extra Happy Boost," he said to Sam before slinking away from the table. The sudden comfort of smoothies seemed to squelch the present bickering.

Sam took a long slurp of her smoothie. "Mmm… New Favorite!" she said dreamily. "Good choice, Fredderly! Wanna try?" She held her cup out for him to take as he switched cups with her.

Freddie took a quick sip of her drink, as she put his straw to her lips. "Wow, that is good," he smiled as he handed her back the cup. Sam took her cup from him, but kept drinking from Freddie's. "Ok Sam, you can give it back," he coaxed, but Sam kept slurping. "Come on now Sam, that one was mine!" He grabbed for his cup but Sam smacked his hand leaving a red mark. "Uhhh," he whined. "Well then I'll just have yours!" He reached for Sam's cup and she grabbed it and held it next to her so he couldn't pry it out of her hand, all while still slurping his smoothie. "Sam you better let me have the smoothie or else…"

Sam opened her mouth to scream back at him, but ended up clenching her eyes and grabbing her forehead in pain. "Ahhh, BRAINFREEZE!"

Freddie grabbed his cup away from her. "That's what you get for…" he felt the lightness of the cup and held it up to the light. "Sam you drank almost half of it already!"

Sam's headache passed and she pounded her fist on the table. She was getting ready for bicker round 2 when she saw Carly's eyes go wide. "He's here," Carly shrieked then jumped up from the stool. She linked arms with Spencer who was walking up to the table with their smoothies and dragged him over to the nearby counter. They turned on their bar stools pretending not to listen as Gabriel walked over to the table.

"Hi guys, sorry I'm late," Gabe said breathlessly.

"You weren't," Freddie said looking at his watch.

'Oh, good…Anyway, I scored 2 goals in the 2nd half and coach wanted my to stay so he could present me the game ball again. Wow Sam you look nice!" Gabe flashed his toothy grin.

Carly smiled at the compliment, satisfied at all the hard work. "Is that the guy?" Spencer whispered. Carly just nodded and shushed him so she could eavesdrop some more.

"Thank you, and congratulations!" Sam smiled. "Have a seat, we're just waiting on Sparky's date," she said patting the stool next to her.

"Actually, those smoothies kind of look good. I think I'm gonna go grab me one," he smiled pointing to the counter. "Don't go anywhere."

"As if…" Sam smiled as he walked away. Her eyes glued to his butt the whole time.

Carly and Spencer swung in their stools toward the table. "Wow, that guy's good looking." Spencer said scowling. Carly and Sam nodded in agreement. "No, I mean like _Superhero_ good looking! That's Horrible!"

"Thank You!" Freddie shouted in agreement as the girls looked at Spencer incredulously. Freddie was about to take a drink of his smoothie when his phone went off signaling an incoming text message. "You've gotta be kidding me!" he grumbled as he read the message. "Heather had to cancel. She said she's sending her cousin in her place. Now it's a blind date? That's just Peachy! What kind of loser am I gonna get stuck with now," he grumbled.

He felt a light hand rest on his shoulder as he closed his phone and shoved it back in his pocket. "I think that's me," he heard a voice say behind him. Sam looked up at the speaker and she choked on her smoothie. Freddie's eyes followed the hand up to the face, and there next to him was Alana Michaels. "Wha…Wha…You're Heather's cousin?" Freddie quickly eyed her up and down. She was wearing the same dress that Sam was wearing earlier; only she filled it out a lot more in a lot more interesting places.

Alana smiled down at him. "That's me," she smiled and presented herself. "Hi Freddie, and you're Sam?" She smiled as she asked her name. Mind if I sit?" Freddie jumped up and let her have his seat as he scooted to the seat next to Sam. He offered Alana a drink of his smoothie. "Oh, no thanks. Those things are loaded with carbs!"

Spencer and Carly huddled over their smoothies as they tried to stealthily sneak glances at Freddie's new date. "Oh My God!" Spencer mouthed to Carly. He couldn't take his eyes off of Alana who, thanks to Freddie's seat change, was in full view of them. "Go Freddie!"

"Spencer!" Carly whisper-yelled and pinched him.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Sam decided Freddie was still too batty to talk. "So…what happened to Heather?" Sam asked forcing a smile.

"Oh, Pixie? She called me this morning in a panic," Alana frowned. "she's got this horrible nervous rash and knew she couldn't make the date."

"Yeah, Freddie gets those on his butt; real ugly pussy suckers too," Sam explained with a smirk. "He has ointment. I'm sure he would have been willing to share."

Freddie shot a glare at Sam. He went to give her a swift kick her under the table, but missed and hit the base of her chair instead. He quietly winced and his eyes watered thanks to his now achy toe. He turned back to Alana and gave a nervous chuckle. "I _used_ to, but I grew out of it a long time ago."

Alana put her hand on Freddie's arm and leaned in. She said softly in his ear, "I'm sure it looks really nice now." Freddie's face turned really red under her gaze, and he kept his eyes on her hand that was resting on his arm.

"So did dear ol' Pixie explain the arrangements today?" Sam broke in slightly yelling.

"Oh," Alana said pulling her hand back. "She just said it was a double date to the fair and I was going to be Freddie's date." She smiled at Freddie who gave her one of his winning half smiles. "So who is your date, Sam?"

Sam looked past her and saw Gabe coming back from the counter. "He's coming right now." She smiled at him and sat up straighter. "Heather couldn't make it," Sam called to Gabe. "This is Freddie's date." Alana turned in her stool to greet him. Her smile dropped and she angrily stood up as soon as she saw who it was.

"Alana!" Gabe said. His voice registered the same shock as his eyes. Alana answered by raising her tiny hand and forcefully slapping him across the face. The sound was loud enough that Carly and Spencer spun in their seats to see the commotion.

Carly, Spencer, Sam and Freddie all sat with their eyes wide and mouths open, staring at the dates. Carly leaned over to Spencer and whispered, "I take it they know each other." Spencer nodded his head as a grin started to spread across his face. He leaned over to Sam and said softly, "Oh this is going to be fun!"

**

* * *

**

Chapter Six has hit the bricks!

**Woo Hoo, I got to write me some Spencer! Sorry to all the Heather lovers for that little switcheroo there. I'm a little evil sometimes (mwahaha)! But I like her too, so don't worry, she's not gone yet!**

**They should be going to the Fair next (for sure this time) and you guys sent in a bunch of ideas. I was sure Freddie hadn't been embarrassed nearly enough. I had a couple of emergency interactive questions pop up, so I sent a PM out to a small group of regular reviewers I shall call the **_**Legion of Lunatics **_**Thanks Guys! (and thanks to Basco57 for the idea to name them)**

**I'm defintely using some of those answers later. This time, I used TheArchduke, Hypo'Lana, Coffee Noodles, Angels., and Panda Hollows, Oh and my BFF (I'm such a hypocrite right now cause I hate that acronym, blah!) who I'll just call The Snillock! **

**Interactives:**

**1. Ok ready for another name game? I'm sure you guys have an idea of the type of music the iCarly gang is into. I need a name for a fictional band Sam would hurt someone to see. Ok, for Sam that may even be Barry Manilow, but this one even Carly would consider hurting someone to see.**

**2. For all the Freddie lovers. What would be an honest compliment for Freddie, that would most likely make him blush? This was one for the **_**LOL**_**(ha! Seriously? Ok that was just a funny accident!) that oddly enough got a lot of the same response, so I'm putting it out for you guys.**

**For everyone else...give in to the temptation of the little green button! You know you wanna! ~Thanks!**


	7. All's Love and War in Fair

**Hey you there, reading this A/N. Remember me? That weird chick that was writing the story about Freddie as Sam's little pony? Yeah, that's the one! Well I'm finally back. Yeah, apparently the summer sun had melted my brain or something. I had fanfic constipation. But I finally had an inspirational laxative so I'm all peppy and happy again. Ok, this is a really gross A/N.**

**Since it's been a while, let's review: When last we left our bickering duo, Sam had a date with a Hot guy named Gabe, Freddie begrudgingly agreed to go on a double date with Heather, only to be surprised that Heather was out and now Alana was in…the hot girl he was in the habit of embarrassing himself around. It turns out that Gabe and Alana both know each other, and it's not an amicable relationship. All caught up now? Alright, let's rejoin our players at the Groovy Smoothie and see what happens.**

**Question: What do iCarly, A life-size replica of Johnny Depp made of chocolate, a personal submergible submarine, and a robot swami all have in common?**

**Answer: They're all thing I don't own. (But a girl can dream!)**

* * *

Gabe stood there stunned for a moment looking into the angry face of his former girlfriend. "Overdramatic as always, I see."

"Where's your little soccer team? I thought you took them on all your dates with you," Alana said bitterly.

"Only my dates with controlling skunk bags. That's the only time they figure I might need backup!"

"Cocky Jerk!"

"Overbearing Witch!"

"Immature little twit!"

"Two-faced Skeevy Tease!"

Alana stood in stunned silence at his last comment. The rest of the table seemed to freeze, waiting for another slap or hasty exit, but none came.

"Now why don't we have pet names like that for each other," Sam teasingly smacked Freddie.

"I thought we did…" he frowned,

"Yeah, but there's are better!"

Sam's joke brought the dueling ex-couple's attention back to the rest of the room.

"Sorry Sam," Alana said not taking her eyes off of Gabe. "It's just that your _date_ here tends to make time for everything else, but the girl he's with."

"You know _Freddie,_" Gabe said still glaring at Alana, "I hope you don't mind being pawed all day because _your_ date can't seem to keep her hands to herself!"

"Actually, I don't think I'd mind that one bit," Freddie smiled and raised his eyebrows. His happiness was short lived as his shin was suddenly met under the table with Sam's size six tennis shoe. "Ow!"

Gabe looked at Alana's face and the unmistakable gloat that was spread across it. "I mean…" he nervously corrected. "I mean she flirts with every guy in the city!"

Alana coolly raised her eyebrow. "Actually, that's not exactly true. It depends entirely on the company I'm keeping." She gave a quick wink to Freddie. "After all, a girl must find a way to entertain herself when she's being ignored by her date."

Gabe's face fell as he registered her remark. He finally turned away from her and looked to Sam with a bit of sadness in his eyes. "Maybe it was a bad idea to make this a double date, Sam," he sighed. "I mean, I didn't mind when it was Pixie, but the present company is…less tolerable."

"Aww," Alana smiled in victory. "Maybe you guys could reschedule. Freddie and I will miss you Sam…"

"Us reschedule!" Sam yelled, forcing the grin off of Freddie's face. "_We_ were the reason for the date in the first place! This is the last weekend of the fair and I've been looking forward to it all week!" She stood up and leaned into Alana's face. "If anyone should back out of their date, it's you two!"

"Ok, fine," Freddie stood up and gently pulled Sam back from Alana. "You two go to the fair and Alana and I will find some other trouble to get into." Freddie wiggled his eyebrows and Alana giggled and nodded her head.

"Fine by me," Gabe shrugged, and all seemed happy until…

"No Way!" Sam burst out. "You're not getting out of your bet so easily, Sparky," she yelled at Freddie.

"Oh, come on Sam!" He was really annoyed at her making the situation difficult. He whipped around to her so they were face to face and the arguments erupted again, only this time all four were involved. Carly tried to step in once, but their arguments were so animated that she nearly got smacked in the face by a flying gesture and ran quickly to the safety of Spencer.

Suddenly the foursome was broken apart as a bare-chested Gibby stepped between them. "Hey," he yelled getting their attention. "You guys are totally harshing the vibe in this joint!"

Spencer looked curiously at Gibby. "He's been drinking a lot of Zingleberry Zen smoothies lately," Carly explained.

Spencer nodded knowingly but still kept curious eyes on Gibby. "What kind of booster is in that, anyway?"

The four started pointing and blaming each other for 'harshing the vibe'. Gibby finally yelled above them again, getting their attention. "Yo Dudes! Just Chillax. Give peace a chance." They all looked at him like he had grown moose antlers.

"Gibby you're go stupid," Sam grumbled. "You and your 'Meh, Give peace a chance' garbage," she mimicked teasingly.

"Oh, really?" Gibby looked at Sam. "Then how bout this?" He stepped back and looked between Gabe and Alana. "You two just need to grow up, and get over it!" Everyone was silent as Gibby walked back to his table; embarrassment was evident across their faces.

"Whoa," Spencer whispered to Carly. "Super Dude and Lolita just got served by Gibby in the middle of the Groovy Smoothie?"

"I'll go kill him for you!" Sam said as she stomped around the table. She didn't get far, though. Gabe caught her around the waist and pulled her back.

"No, Sam. He's right." He smiled at her, "this was supposed to be your reward for doing so well on your test." He looked up at Alana with a question in his eyes. "I'm willing to put our drama aside for the day if you are."

Alana folded her arms and sighed. "Right, like I'm gonna say 'no' and become the bad guy," she laughed dryly. "No thanks! I guess I'm in." She smiled genuinely this time, as Gabe returned the smile.

"Alright, let's go to the fair! " Freddie cheered, "I am dying to ride the scrambler!" He headed for the door with Alana and Gabe cheerfully following behind.

"I wanna try and ring the bell on that sledgehammer thing," Gabe laughed.

"Our neighbor came back with the cutest bracelets from there last week…" Alana smiled.

"Uh, Hello?" Sam said as she watched them walk toward the door. "You guys forgetting something?" The others didn't stop. They just kept talking and walked out the door. Sam looked over at Carly and Spencer, who sat and giggled at her being left behind. Sam rolled her eyes, took a deep breath and yelled at the top of her lungs, "SPAAARRRKYYY!!!"

In a split second Freddie rushed back through the door and to the table. "Sorry, Sam," he apologized nervously. He turned around and let her climb up.

She made herself comfortable then pulled his hair so he was facing her. "Just for that, expect to be buying me lot's of food on sticks, Benson."

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Two bus transfers and a half-mile walk later, they finally arrived at the gates of the fair grounds. They had a mild skirmish with security, who made Sam dismount to go through the turnstile, but once they were in, they were amazed at what they saw. The fair covered the large city park from corner to corner. Over near the lake they had the rides. At the far side was the amphitheater where all the days scheduled events were to take place. They had the midway arcade next to the rides, the vendor booth and exhibits closer to the entrance, and right in the middle of it all was the food area. There were happy people all over the park and it was very inviting.

Sam glanced back for the security guard, then hopped up on Freddie's back. "So," she grinned. "I think we all know where we need to start."

"We sure do!" Freddie said excitedly. They each pointed in opposite directions to their favorite areas. This immediately started another argument between them.

"Um," a soft voice tried to break in. "Excuse me, " she said a little louder, but the couples were still bickering amongst each other. "Hey!" They finally heard her and stopped arguing. It was a girl dressed in a green striped shirt and visor. She was holding a camera. "Would you guys like your photo taken for a souvenir? You can pick it up at that booth over there later," she pointed.

"Um," Gabe smiled. "Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun."

The striped girl was all smiles as she got them into position for the photo. "Okay, everyone scooch in." Sam held tight to Freddie's neck, Alana grabbed onto Freddie's arm, and Gabe put his arm around Sam's back and scooted up against her. "Alright now guys, on the count of three say Seattle Fair! One, two, three!" The camera flashed and they all stood still as she checked the shot. Sam's stomach suddenly growled loudly.

"Wow, Sam!" Gabe laughed. "I actually felt that!"

"Me too," Freddie sighed. "I guess that means we're going to the food area first."

"Oh yeah, I'mma get me a cone dawg and sum chilay fries!" she bounced on Freddie's back.

Freddie left Sam and Alana to find a seat while he and Gabe went to get them food.

Once they finally sat down to eat, Sam dug into her extra large plate of chili fries. She didn't care that some of it was missing her mouth entirely. "Oh, Mama. Why can't they have this fair every week!" she said while spitting chunks of chili out onto the table.

Gabe tried to reach out to grab a chili fry. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Freddie warned. "You might just lose a finger."

Sam smirked at Freddie then fed Gabe a fry with a large glob of chili and cheese. "Mmm!" Gabe closed his eyes and murmured, "Oh, yeah. That's good!" Sam giggled at Gabe's reaction.

Alana looked on disgusted. 'How can you eat that stuff! Do you have any idea what that garbage does to your body?"

"Don't even try," Freddie warned her. "This girl eats more than anyone I've ever known, and it doesn't stick. I should know after carrying her around for three days."

"I can't help it if I have a high metabolism," Sam shrugged, then demonstrated by shoving another fry in her mouth.

"So Sam, I was thinking, since we both have dates, you could _walk_ around the park today?" Freddie asked, then gave a wink to Alana.

"Didn't I tell you that thinking shouldn't be done by the untrained? Why would I do that when I have a perfectly good pony at my disposal, dork?" she asked around a mouth full of corn dog.

"Maybe I can get you to change your mind." Freddie smirked.

Sam looked at him warily. "Doubtful, but what did you have in mind?"

"You give me a break from pony duty while we're here," he smiled, "in exchange for this." He pulled the napkin from the tray in front of him to reveal a small tan toasty mountain of crispy batter covered in powdered sugar.

Sam's eyes went wide, "What is it?"

Freddie smirked. He had her! He'd be empty-backed the rest of the day! "_This_ is a Deep-Fried Fat Cake." Sam lunged quickly at the golden fried decadence in front of her, but Freddie quickly snatched it out of her reach. "Nuh, uh. You only get this if you stay off my back until we go home."

Sam looked between him and the Fried Fat Cake. She didn't want to let the nub win, but her favorite dessert in the world, all crispified was not something she wanted to pass up.

"Come on Sam," Freddie teased waving it in front of her. "You know you want it!"

"Do it Sam," Alana coaxed. "We'll all be much happier!" Sam squinted at that. It would serve the crumb right to have a lousy date after this.

"Sam," Gabe said in her ear. "You don't need Freddie to carry you around today. I'm really strong, and I'd be more than happy to do it if you want me to."

Ding, Ding, Ding. Sam's eyes lit up. She can have her Fat Cake and pony ride? "Deal!" she grunted as she grabbed the plate from Freddie's hand and ferociously attacked it with her fork.

"So Sam, what should…" Gabe started but Freddie stopped him. They looked over to watch Sam. She already had one bite in her mouth and was twirling the melted marshmallow around her finger and popping it into her mouth. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head as she slowly pulled her finger out of her mouth and moaned.

"She's gonna need a minute," Freddie gave a sly smile and raised his eyebrow. The boys were mesmerized as they watched her take another bite and let the marshmallow and cream dribble down her chin. She licked her lips to pick up the pieces of coconut that had escaped with the marshmallow. She wrapped the marshmallow around her finger again and then deftly unwound it with her tongue and languidly pulled her finger away with a pop.

"Boys," Alana broke into their show, but they didn't respond. "Uh, Guys," she said a little more forcefully. When they still didn't respond she picked a crouton off of her salad and hit Gabe in the face with it. They finally looked over at her. "We have company," she nodded to someone standing next to the table.

The woman was young and thin with a tight KDJS Radio tee shirt and fake…eyelashes. "Uh, Hi, I'm Whitney. Hope I wasn't interrupting…anything," she smiled and raised her eyebrows.

"Whitney," Gabe smiled "What a beautiful name. No you weren't interrupting anything."

"Nope, nothing at all." Freddie quickly agreed.

Sam furrowed her brow a bit as she took another bite of her Fried Fat Cake.

"I work with KDJS, if you couldn't tell by the shirt," she laughed airily.

"What a nice shirt it is," Gabe said with his eyes glued to her chest.

Whitney smiled at him and continued. "Anyway, we're having a contest later today and the winner gets 2 backstage and pit passes to see the Toxic Soxx who are playing here tonight." She bounced happily.

"NO WAY!" Sam shouted. "They're here?"

"Yeah, but unfortunately, the show is sold out, so the only way you can see them is to enter the contest." Whitney said, holding up her clipboard.

"I am the BIGGEST Toxic Soxx fan," Sam said as she tried to reach for the clipboard.

Whitney pulled it back from her reach when Freddie asked, "What would we have to do."

"Well," Whitney explained looking over her notes. "It's two separate events. One is trivia, and the other is physical. We'll be doing the trivia part in about an hour over at the amphitheater, and then at 6:00 we'll have the two finalists run an obstacle course. You can work as a team, but only one of you has to sign up per team."

"Freddie, I wanna go," Alana cheered. "You should sign up." Freddie didn't move for a second. "Please," she smiled. "For me?" She leaned over and kissed his temple.

Freddie's face turned red. He reached for the clipboard and signed his name to the list.

Sam snatched the clipboard from Freddie's hand. "You're really a big fan?" Gabe asked her.

"Big Fan? Does Ham taste good with Ice Cream?" Sam asked impatiently. Gabe looked at her dumbfounded for a moment. "YES!" Sam yelled. "Yes, ham tastes good with Ice cream and Heck Yeah, I am the biggest fan!"

"Cool," Gabe chuckled as he took the clipboard from her. "If you can handle the trivia part, I'm a shoo-in for the physical part." He smiled and signed his name to the list.

"Great," Whitney smiled. "Then we'll see you guys in 45 minutes by the amphitheater," she said as she bounced away.

"So," Gabe finally said after he watched Whitney walk away. "I hope you two have a nice ride home, while Sam and I are enjoying the concert."

Alana shot him a glare. "And what makes you think that you're going to win, you cocky…"

"We have just as much a chance as you guys," Freddie interrupted.

"Right, if this were the dorakthalon," Sam teased.

Again the four set off into an argument. Sam and Freddie were in each other's faces as were Alana and Gabe. Alana picked up her iced tea from her tray and hurled it at Gabe. They all stood still for a moment until Gabe reached down with a gleam in his eye and grabbed the rest of Sam's gooey chili fries. He gave a sinister smile as panic took over Alana's face. "You wouldn't dare!" She said cautiously. "Gabe put them down," she begged, holding her hands out to protect her.

Gabe cocked his arm back and quickly launched the sticky mess at her. Alana screamed and ducked out of the way before they could hit her. The plate landed with a squish on the back of the head of the man at the table behind them. "Oh, I'm really sor…" Gabe's eyes went big as he saw the man stand up and turn around, "…ry, Sir. Whoa!"

The man stood well over six feet tall and had enormous muscles. A sneer was forming on his mustached lip, and Sam looked down at his chest to see the Bone Crusher sledgehammer tattoo. Another equally intimidating man stood up behind him. "Oh, Holy Nutballs!" Sam said backing away a bit. "Run!" She yelled.

Sam grabbed Freddie's hand and took off running through the crowd toward the exhibits. Gabe grabbed Alana's hand and followed Sam and Freddie. The two goons were trailing behind them, but not by far. When the foursome reached the petting zoo they turned to see where the men were. They were just a few yards away, and closing in fast. Sam and Freddie took off toward the vendors. They saw Gabe and Alana hop the fence at the petting zoo and take off through the animals, while Alana just screamed, "Ew, Ew, Ew," the whole way through.

The Sledgehammer dude followed Sam and Freddie while his buddy took off after the others. Sledgehammer dude chased them through the displays of quilts and homemade candles and into the tent where they were holding arts and crafts for the kids. They quickly put on one of the paper masks the kids were making and huddled down in their seats so they appeared to be the same size. The Sledgehammer man burst through the tent and suddenly saw a bunch of masked eyes staring at him. He slowly walked through the tent looking at all of the masks that were following him. He stopped at Sam and Freddie's table, but quickly moved on. When he got a few tables further down, Sam and Freddie stealthily ducked down and crawled back toward the entrance.

They were almost out the door when the Sledgehammer man turned around and saw them. "Hey, You!" he yelled pointing at Sam and Freddie. They slowly turned around toward him. "Take off your masks," he commanded with a low growl. They slowly reached up and pulled the masks away from their faces as the burly man stalked toward them. "You…" he pointed at them.

Freddie's eyes went wide and he was finding it extremely difficult to swallow. "Sam?" He looked over and her eyes suddenly switched from panic to her "trouble" face. "What are you going to do?" he whispered quickly.

Sam was watching Sledgehammer dude get closer. Her eyes narrowed and a determination spread across her face. "On the count of three, run," she whispered to Freddie. He turned and looked at her with a touch more panic than before. "One." They watched the man, as he was another table closer. "Two." The man was well past the halfway point across the tent. His eyes now matched Sam's, and he was inching closer to them.

Freddie waited with baited breath. The man was already two-thirds across the tent toward them. "Three? Come on Sam, he's getting closer. Call three!" Freddie said with a panic. He stood frozen, as the man was now just a few yards away from them. He looked over to Sam and saw her do the oddest thing. A smirked spread across her lips and she winked and nodded at the Sledgehammer dude.

"Hey Kids!" Sam shouted, and the man froze in his tracks. "This man has chocolate, in his pockets for anyone who finds it. Get him!" The man's eyes went wide as suddenly 50 screaming kids ran up and started clawing at him and pulling him to the ground. "Three, Freddie! Run, run," Sam said pushing him out the door.

She grabbed his hand and they started running up the hill. They had just gotten to the top and looked to see if the Sledgehammer guy was following. No sign of him. They ran around another one of the tents to get out of sight, and smashed into Gabe and Alana. "Dude," Sam said rubbing her head.

"Quick, crazy guy is still after us," Gabe said out of breath. They looked and saw the man halfway up the hill. They ran down a few more tents until they saw a purple one with the flap drawn. They quickly squeezed their way through the narrow opening, and watched as the scary dude stood a couple yards away from them. He was scanning the crowd and scratching his head. They were still trying to catch their breaths when the man finally walked away.

"Whew," Gabe laughed. "We finally lost them! That was intense."

"Intense?" Alana said as she smacked his shoulder. "That was insane and scary!"

"Welcome to my world," Freddie said as he gave a quick glance down at Sam.

"Well look at it this way," Sam shrugged. "Now you have an interesting story to tell."

"How long do you think we have to wait here?" Gabe asked smiling at her.

"For this guy, not long. He'll bring the big guy back, though," she laughed. "He's not going to be so easy to shake. We sort of had another run in with him at the Groovy Smoothie."

"Great, what are we going to do until we get rid of Scary and Scarier," Alana frowned.

"Perhaps, a cup of tea?" they heard a jovial voice behind them. They slowly turned around to see a middle aged woman with wild curly hair and wearing a flowy dress. She was sitting at a table with four empty seats, a cup of hot tea steaming at each. "Have a seat children, I've been expecting you."

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Finally done with Chapter 7. Think we'll make it to 11?

**This probably wasn't the greatest chapter, but the good news is that I usually have one chapter that I have a hard time getting out, then the rest just flows. With any luck, this was it. **

**So, who gets chapter credits this time? A Silver Clouds Lullaby (I tell ya, great mind and she's a new beta!), Awkward Squirrel (Also a Beta), Panda Hallows, Hypo'Lana, and Coffee Noodles. Also, I credited someone last time, and it kept cutting off the name. The correct name is Angels. 02. Music. Don't know why it cut off. Sorry bout that.**

**The band name is was an amalgamation of two names I got from Lullaby. Toxic Mushrooms and Striped Soxx became Toxic Soxx. (I was hypnotized by all the Xs)**

**Interactive part: these may need to be sent as a PM**

**1. Band fans I need some trivia questions. Send some random facts about your favorite bands or band members. Example: Which member of The Plain White T's wore a hat when they performed on iCarly? Answer: Mike Retondo. Something along that lines. You don't necessarily have to answer, but it may help. Think you your favorite bands and some of the things you might want to know, or think is odd.**

**2. Anyone good at writing song lyrics. Like if I give you a title, and an example of the type of song, can anyone come up with a verse or two. I have some idea, but I don't think songwriting is one of my talents. **

**That's all for today, kids. Now time to go press that pretty little button and tell me what you think.**


	8. Fortunately It's All Trivial

**Warning: Long chapter alert. I figured I owed it to you after making you wait so long. Ugh, I give up with excuses. The writing imps have been stealing my time away. I'll get it to you guys as soon as possible, but no more promises. Just know it irritates me when I don't post, just as much as you. (Maybe more…maybe).**

**So last chapter, I didn't realize until Lullaby pointed out I included Sledgehammer and Pork Chop. They've invaded my brain…scary. Also, did anyone else want a fried Fat Cake after reading that? Just me? Ok.**

**So back to the tent now, just a little technicality to get out of the way.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly, but if you'd like to take up a collection to help me with that dream, I'll gladly pass around the hat…(looks in hat after passing it around) Why is there only pocket lint and gum wrappers in my hat? Harumph!**

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The four kids stood still as they faced the stranger. Freddie began to take in the surroundings. The tent was decorated with all sorts of tapestries and rich colored silk fabrics. Although the numerous lit candles would have caused his mother to immediately call the Fire Marshal, the glow they cast created an inviting warmth in the small tent. His apprehension disappeared when he looked at the woman again in the candlelight.

"What do you mean you were expecting us?" he questioned.

"Truthfully," the woman chuckled. "I only saw that I would have visitors for tea," she explained in a light Scottish accent. "But you do have two unhappy gentlemen after you." As if on cue the clock chimed four bells, "And it is tea time." She smiled warmly as she walked over to the entrance to properly greet them.

Alana stepped forward a bit. "I know who you are," she said excitedly. "My neighbor came to see you when she was here last week. You told her she'd find her keys where the puppy liked to bury his treasures. You're Madam Mimoza!"

The woman bowed slightly to signify that she was correct. "And how did that advice fare?"

Alana laughed slightly. "You were absolutely right. She didn't even know the puppy was digging holes!" She looked at the woman with amused curiosity. "She didn't tell you that she had lost her keys or even that she'd had a new puppy! How did you do that?"

"Ah, I can't give away all my secrets!" the woman chuckled. "But I can tell you that my name is not actually Madam Mimoza," she said lowly as if it were a secret. "My real name is Janis. And who do I have the pleasure of having tea with today?"

Gabe stepped forward and introduced himself first. She laid one hand on his shoulder and shook his hand with the other. She did the same as she greeted the rest; Sam was last. Janis smiled as she looked at her skeptical face. "I also have lovely mini ham sandwiches with the crusts cut off." Sam broke out in a large smile and bounced over to the table with the others following after.

"So are you going to read our palms or tea leaves or something?" Sam asked as she took a seat.

Freddie watched as Janis blew out a couple of candles behind the table, then set a box of tissues in front of Alana. "I don't really believe in that sort of thing," he admitted with concerned eyes. As soon as the words escaped his lips, Alana grabbed one of the tissues from the box and sneezed into it several times.

"Oh, well then you are a smart lad," she winked at him. "No, my dear," she smiled at Sam as she uncovered the plate of sandwiches. "The tea leaves, palm reading and cards are pretty much for show. The tourists like it."

Sam immediately took two of the sandwiches and shoved them into her mouth. "So what are we here for?" she asked around the lump in her mouth.

"Nothing more than a little friendly conversation," Janis smiled as she set the bowl of sugar cubes on the table. "Now Gabe, short for Gabriel, is it?" Gabe nodded at the woman. "Such a strong name! You had a soccer match today? And did very well, I see!"

Gabe's eyes went wide as he would finally be able to tell the story! "Yes! I had a midfield strike that made it into goal after the tender jumped too soon. It was a tie breaking point at the end of the game. Even the other coach said he was impressed."

Freddie and Sam seemed a little impressed, but Alana sat there with a bored expression on her face as if she'd heard it all before. "And what about the Scholarship?" Janis asked reading something further.

Gabe looked at her a bit shocked for a moment and a smile spread across his face as he continued. "There was a scout for UC Santa Barbara there."

He finally had Alana's attention. "They want to give you a scholarship…in California? But I thought you wanted to stay at Washington."

Gabe shrugged, obviously in thought, "It's a great soccer program, though. Besides it's not a scholarship offer yet, they're just scouting." He smiled proudly to himself, "but they're interested." He suddenly turned his attention back to Janis. "Am I going to get it?"

Janis shook her head, "You don't really want me to tell you, do you?" Gabe thought for a second then shook his head.

Freddie watched the action in front of him. Gabe was lost in thought, Alana was suddenly wrapped in concern, and Janis was watching it all with an analytical eye. "How do you know this," Freddie finally blurt out.

Janis slowly turned her attention to him. "How do I know what, dear?"

"Any of it," he said uncomfortably. "The stuff about the neighbor, Gabe's soccer stuff, the fact that Alana was going to sneeze." He looked over at the others to see them looking at him with a bit of shock.

Janis gave a knowing smile. "They told me."

Freddie looked over to Gabe and Alana. It was obvious that they either had no idea what she was talking about, or they were good actors. Sam was just as confused as everyone else. "We've been with them the whole time. They haven't said a word, lady!"

"You're right, they didn't say a word," she nodded at Sam.

Freddie's frustration was starting to get the better of him. "I thought you said the Voo-Doo, fortune telling stuff isn't real. So tell us how you know all this stuff?"

Janis took a deep breath and picked up the teapot to refill the cups. "I didn't say it wasn't real. Most of the time it just isn't necessary. If you know how to look, most people can tell you things without ever opening their mouths, and it requires no special gift except keen observation, an understanding of human nature, and a little bit of intuition."

Sam glared at her a bit. "Prove it."

Freddie looked over at Alana, "How did you know she would sneeze?"

"Oh, that was simple. When I looked into her eyes, I could see them watering a bit. Allergies I assume?" she asked Alana, who nodded in affirmation. "Some of these candles wreak havoc with allergies, so I blew them out. I knew it would make her sneeze for a moment, but would be better for her in the long run. Feeling better now, dear?"

Alana thought for a minute then sniffed. "Yeah, my nose is totally clear," she said curiously. "Thanks."

"And Gabe?" Sam asked.

The woman gave Gabe a warm smile. "Gabriel is in excellent shape." Sam and Alana both smiled in agreement, while Freddie gave a barely visible grimace. "It's obvious he's athletic, and by the proportion of upper body to lower body strength, I would say it's a sport that requires a lot of his legs. The two that most commonly describes are Soccer and Track. Track requires only steady movement in one direction. I noticed how gracefully he moved around the crowd out there. That's someone who is used to switching directions very quickly…a soccer player." She chuckled, "if there's one thing we Scots know, it's soccer."

Gabe gave her an impressed smile. "But what about the match?"

"Ah, well I'm assuming that you all pretty much ran the same amount while you were here?" They all nodded in agreement. "When I touched your shoulder, I felt more of an energy coming off of you than I felt in the others. You had been very active earlier today, so I assumed you had a match. When I mentioned it, your energy turned extremely bright. I knew you had a very good day," she smiled.

"And the scholarship?" Alana asked.

"There was something uncertain in his eyes," she said with a sympathetic eye on Gabe. "…a decision that he'd have to make."

"And you get all of this from their eyes, or whatever?" Freddie still said skeptically.

"Most of it…or their energy," Janice nodded.

Sam looked on confused, "Energy?"

"Let me see if I can explain it this way," Janice said as she turned to her. "Have you ever felt uncomfortable around someone and you don't know why, only to find out later that they were a really mean person?" They all nodded their heads. "You were picking up on something in their energy. Most people are capable of this on some level or another."

"And what does energy tell you?" Alana asked.

"It mostly tells me of their mood, or their character," she smiled. "With my sense of intuition, sometimes they can tell me much more." She settled back into her chair as she began to tell them a story. "About two weeks ago, I had a young man and woman come in. The man was leaving for a job interview in Oklahoma the next day and he wanted to know if he would get the job. They were good friends, but I can tell, that they should have been so much more. They were each other's soul mate. They made me laugh because they argued about every little thing. I could see that they brought out the passion in each other, but they were both too strong willed and proud to admit their feelings. I knew he was going to get the job. I couldn't get them to see how much they loved and needed each other, though. The heart can only do so much when stubbornness stands in the way, and unfortunately, he probably left without ever knowing."

"How did you know he'd get it?" Gabe asked.

"Child, just because I don't need to use it often, doesn't mean I don't have the gift of vision," she smiled. "Anyway, I felt the same energy when you four walked in here today. Someone here needs to be strong and share their heart." She studied them as the four children's eyes were suddenly glued to the cups of tea in front of them. They were all in obvious thought. A few moments later, the clock chimed to signify half past 4. "Oh my, you children have a contest to get to!"

"Oh yeah," Sam jumped up. "I'm gonna win me some tickets," she danced toward the door.

"Thank you for tea Janis," Alana said getting up.

"Yes, this was very interesting," Gabe agreed and followed Alana out of the tent.

Freddie stood up and smiled at Janis. He was about to leave, but she put her hand on his arm. He stood looking at her while she waited for the flap to close behind the others.

"Freddie Dear. You know, you are much stronger than you think you are." She stood up and put her hands on both his shoulders. "You may feel insignificant at times, but your voice is being heard loud and clear. You just need to have patience." She looked over toward the flap. "She'll come around in time." Freddie looked at her curiously for a moment then said a quick thank you and headed toward the door. "Oh, and you and Sam have fun at the concert," she said before he lifted the flap.

Freddie turned to her and smiled. "There's where you're wrong. Alana's my date, not Sam."

Janis smiled and crossed her arms, "Really? Well then the rest of this date will be very interesting."

Freddie looked at her curiously once more before he stepped outside to join the others. "It's about time, Freida!" Sam complained as she dragged him to the others. "We have to go all the way across the park and I'm not walking!"

"Nuh uh," he shook his head smiling. "You traded that for the Fat Cake, remember."

Sam growled for a second but then Gabe stepped up. "It's all right, Sam. I got you!"

She turned and stuck out her tongue quickly at Freddie before she climbed up on Gabe's back. It took her a few seconds to get adjusted. She was used to the comfort of Freddie; she just seemed to fit right against him. Gabe might have been stronger, but he had all sorts of muscles and hard angles that Sam had to work around. She finally found a position that she could live with…at least until they got to the amphitheater. "Let's go win me some Toxic Soxx tickets!"

Gabe happily bounded toward the amphitheater. Freddie felt a little empty watching her being carried by someone else. He thought he'd enjoy having her weight off of him. He snuck one more glance back at the flap of the purple tent. Janis' words were ringing in his ears. Alana hooked her arm into his and he quickly smiled at her. "Ready to go trounce their butts at some trivia?" Alana gave him an excited smile before they followed the other couple to the contest.

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As they approached the amphitheater, they could see an enormous KDJS banner, obviously disguising something behind it. Whitney was there talking to two other girls in bouncy t-shirts. She came up to them as soon as she saw them.

"I'm glad you guys made it," she said excitedly, dragging Gabe by the arm. "There's only one other team that hasn't shown up yet. We'll be starting in just a couple minutes."

She guided them over to a pale, skinny, squirmy looking guy with a headset radio and a clipboard. He looked like he'd rather be in his basement playing RP games, than organizing all the hoopla. "This is Riley, our producer. He needs to get your names and information."

"Take a look at your future Fred Head," Sam whispered over at Freddie. He answered with a sarcastic smirk back at her.

"Riles!" Whitney called sweetly as they approached. "These are my guys, Gabe and Freddie," she said as she placed a hand on each of their shoulders, "and their partners. Take good care of my handsome guys here, will ya?" She winked at Gabe and Freddie and said, "Good luck, boys," before turning and walking away. Both boys craned their necks to watch her go until they received a simultaneous double slap from Sam and Alana.

They gave their information to the producer then went and waited with the other contestants. Five minutes later, the nearby crowd erupted as Boomer Rossi, the morning DJ on KDJS took the field. Sam was still riding on Gabe's back when Whitney came back to join them. "You excited?" she asked them, even though all of her attention was on the DJ.

Boomer Rossi was a badly dressed squatty guy in his 30's, with "a face for radio." He did, however, have one heck of a great voice, and an obvious loyal fan following. "Hello there, Fair Fairgoers! I'm Boomer Rossi with KDJS, and we're here on a Be-Utiful day at the final weekend of the Seattle Fair." The producer waved his hands and the crowed cheered wildly on cue. "Now as you know, we sent out our three lovely interns here to find contestants for The Rock with the Soxx contest here tonight. Let's give it up for these beautiful ladies." Whitney and the other two girls in bouncy t-shirts all bowed and waved to the sound of cat calls from the men in the audience. "Yes men, I do love my job," Boomer chuckled. "So lets meet the suckers," Boomer stopped to laugh, "oops, I mean our brave contestants."

Whitney wiggled around like an excited little puppy while Boomer walked over to her and the two couples. "So first we have Intern Whitney!" Boomer announced. "Who do you have here for us, Sweetheart?"

She pulled out a microphone and yelled, "How's everyone doing," to the excited cheers of the crowd. "Ladies, take a look at these fine, fine boys I found today." Freddie blushed and Gabe stepped forward as the crowd once again went wild. "I know, right! On my right here we have the absolutely adorable Freddie Benson, and his partner Alana." The crowd cheered as he gave a shy wave; Alana clung to his shoulder and waved like a prom princess. "And on my left is Gabe Asher! Woo!" Gabe stepped forward and stretched his arms in the air as the crowd cheered heartily for him.

"Gabe Asher, huh?" Boomer laughed. "I'd change my name before visiting San Francisco, if I were you kid. And what's this cute little blond growth you have on your back."

"Oh," Whitney stepped up, "this is his partner Samantha!"

Sam jumped down and deliberately landed on Whitney's foot. The intern tried to maintain a smile, but the pain was showing in her eyes. Sam grabbed the microphone from Whitney's hand and glared at her. "It's Sam, Whitless! Sam Puckett…the _winner_of the Rock with the Soxx contest."

Boomer chuckled at Sam. "I love this girl! And you think you can beat all these others?" he asked putting an arm around her. Sam looked at his arm and gave him a hard glare. Boomer slowly removed his arm and backed away, "Alright…well I'm convinced," he said nervously. "Let's give it up for Whitney and her teams!" The crowd cheered loudly as Boomer shook Gabe and Freddie's hands and wished them luck. As he passed Sam he whispered a quick, "Be gentle, slugger," and walked to the next teams.

The next girl was short with very blond hair. There were two guys with her that looked to be in their early 20s. "Celia," Boomer said coming up to her. "Who do you have here?"

Celia, who had obviously been a cheerleader, pulled out her microphone and announced, "Boomer this is Steve and Tony! They are both on the Baseball team at Shoreline Community College! Go Dolphins!" The boys gave growling cheers at the mention of their team.

The audience gave a cordial clap to Steve and Tony as Boomer came up to them. "Baseball players, huh? This may be an interesting game for you. Tell me boys, what positions do you play?"

Steve sort of looked embarrassed at the question. "Actually, we're 2nd string, fielders, but there's a lot of guys graduating this year, so next year we're playing for sure!"

Boomer gave them a silent nod then said, "Ok, well good luck with that."

He wandered back over to Sam and leaned next to her shoulder. He stood looking at the baseball guys and said softly in the microphone. "So Sam…these guys are kind of big, and older," he pointed out. "Do they intimidate you at all?"

Sam just looked at them and said "Pssht! These guys? I'm more afraid of your producer Riley over there."

Boomer chuckled at her response. "I LOVE this girl!" He then turned his attention to Celia. "I noticed you're a team light here, honey."

Celia's face turned a little pink. "I had another team, Danny and Grace, but they didn't show."

"Well, Danny and Grace," Boomer said out to the audience. You're going to miss one hell of a show tonight!" He turned back to the baseball players, "good luck tonight, guys…although Sam over here, thinks you should probably go home now."

He moved over to the last intern. Not only was her t-shirt bouncy, but it was possibly the lowest cut that the state of Washington would allow. She was standing with a set of prissy looking twins. Freddie thought they looked more like they should be at a garden club, than a city fair. "How you doing there Darling Nikki," Boomer winked at her. "So this is quite a beautiful corner we have here, but you also only have one team."

Nikki tossed back her long red hair and said, "Well, _Boomer._ If you remember correctly, I had another…_job_ to do." She raised her left eyebrow seductively and ran her tongue against her teeth. The crowd gave a collective "ooh", and a few whistles could be heard.

"Riiight," Boomer said as he stood mere inches from her. "Well, we all appreciate a hard worker, now don't we?" The crowd's oohing got a little bit stronger and someone from the back yelled Oww! "So seeing double isn't unusual for me on a Saturday night, but it doesn't usually look this good! Who do you have here today?"

"This is Jessica and Justine, and they are enough to give any of these guys double trouble," Nikki pointed to the rest of the teams.

Boomer walked down the line toward Whitney's group again. "You hear that Sam?"

Sam rested her head against Freddie's shoulder and yelled back, "Yeah, yeah! Wake me when they get interesting."

The crowd gave another collective "Oooh" at her little jab. Boomer just shook his head and muttered, "Trash talk! I _really_ love this girl!" He walked back to the center of the field and started to address all of the teams.

"Ok, here's how this is going to work," he said, reading off of the rules sheet. "Only one team member can answer the questions, the others can just sit back and cheer on their team mate." He looked back between the teams. "Sounds easy enough, right? Now I need you guys to decide who is going to answer the questions, and who is going to sit. Those answering can come stand next to me. The other's follow your interns please. Riley, why don't you kick us some Cuttlefish while the good people are waiting."

The teams huddled quickly then began to disperse to their assigned directions. Sam danced over to Boomer with Freddie following along. Gabe and Alana disappeared with Whitney behind the banner. Steve, showed up for his team, and Justine came for the twins…or was it Jessica? Who could tell? Sam got the audience dancing through a few songs and they didn't notice four buckets of KDJS balls being placed next to lines on the grass by the large banner. When the music finally stopped. Boomer called them all over again to explain what was going on.

"Alright guys," he started. "We have 10 questions for you to answer. If you think you know the answer, you throw one of these balls with my face on it…" He showed them all a ball, "…at the target. If you answer correct, you get a point, if you answer incorrect, you lose a point and your partner will have to pay the consequence." He ran that last part so quickly that it was apparent it meant to be missed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Freddie stopped him. "Where are these targets we're supposed to be hitting, and what exactly happens to our partners if we miss?"

A sly smile grew across Boomer's face. "Let's show 'em guys," he yelled to the two guys standing on either side of the banner. They each yanked a chord and the banner fell down revealing 6 dunk tanks. Their partners were sitting on seats across the tank, wearing wetsuits. Gabe had the top of his wetsuit pulled down revealing his chiseled chest. Alana was gripping the seat so hard her fingers were turning white, and her feet were raised as far out of the water as she could get them. Tony had climbed up and was standing on his seat trying to rile the crowd, and Jessica (or was it Justine) just sat with her arms folded glaring at her sister. The two empties were on either end. "See," Boomer laughed. "Easy! Now everyone to their places!"

They all took their place behind the lines and grabbed a ball. Freddie looked apologetically to Alana, while Gabe yelled, "Get em Sam," from his perch. They cued up some Toxic Soxx to get them all 'in the mood', then Boomer grabbed the questions and took a spot on top of one of the empty tanks.

"Alright now, Balls ready?" Boomer glanced across the line to see they all had one in hand. "You should know that all of these questions pertain to the band Toxic Soxx. Make's sense, don't it? First question: What former Fast food celebrity made an appearance in their video 'Stealing Time from Mr. Jeeves'?" Sam had launched the ball before the question had even been finished. Her target lit up and she yelled, "the Hamburglar!"

"That is correct," Boomer announced and Whitney put one point up under Gabe's name. Gabe cheered for Sam while she danced around saying "robble, robble." Even Freddie had to laugh at her. "Alright, next question…" Boomer paused for effect. "What condition does James Savent have…"

Steve, being bested by Sam last time, threw the ball hard at the target lighting it up. "Chlamydia," he said proudly. Tony covered his face in his hands, as Steve realized what he just said.

"Well," Boomer chuckled. "Although, that may very well be accurate, it is not the answer to this question." There was a large click, and the crowd cheered as Tony fell into the freezing cold water. Celia put up a one, and was waiting for one of the lesser attractive peon interns to find a minus sign for her. "What are they teaching these kids in community college?" Boomer joked. "The rest of the question is…that causes his eyes to be two different colors."

Without any competition, Freddie threw the ball and hit the target. "Heterochromia," he said proudly.

Boomer shrugged as he read the answer. "The kid probably said it better than I could, but that is correct." The crowd cheered as Whitney put up a point under Freddie's name. Alana started to cheer for Freddie but quickly stopped, because it was wiggling her seat. Instead she just stayed clutching the board, with a panicked look on her face.

"Good work, Freddison," Sam said as she took another ball from the bucket.

The twin on the dunk tank started yelling very graphically (to put it mildly) at her sister to get into the game. Apparently it was Justine throwing the balls.

"Here we go," Boomer said, pulling another card. "Name the four current members of Toxic Soxx, and the last band that they belong to."

All four threw balls at the target, but Sam's hit first. Justine threw the ball hard, but missed the target and it deflected off the side of the tank and nearly knocked over Boomer.

"Whoa," he said as he ducked. "You should be gentler, when you're playing with my balls, sweetheart." Jessica swiftly swung around on her seat, shot out her leg, and kicked the target to the tank that Boomer was standing on. The little letch plunged into the tank, microphone and all.

The crowd cheered loudly and Jessica quickly jumped up on her seat so she was looking down on him. "Maybe that'll cool you off you horny little…"

"Disqualified!" Someone announced over the loudspeaker. Justine started yelling at Jessica for getting them disqualified, and before Jessica could let out the stream of expletives that were forming on her lips, Justine hit the target, sending Jessica into the icy cold water. The wet twin was very agile. She jumped out of the water and back onto the plank seat. With the crowd urging her on, she launched herself at her sister, and the two started wrestling and fighting in the grass.

So much for Garden Club, they look like they should be on the WWE, Freddie thought as they were being dragged away by two of the station's body guards.

A small crowd of people in KDJS shirts rushed to help Boomer out of the water. Freddie heard the three pretty interns behind him starting to chuckle. Once Boomer was out of the water, they gave him a dry towel and a new microphone. Freddie could see Riley's face. He showed absolutely no concern for the drenched radio personality, but looked as if he'd just lost his last best friend when he looked at the ruined microphone. Freddie inwardly chuckled, _been there, done that, wrote the Blog_.

Once all of the commotion died down, Boomer took the new microphone and continued. "Well, that ain't the first time women have fought because me," he joked. "Where were we?" Someone handed him a new set of questions and whispered something quickly in his ear. "Right, Right," he said as he waved the guy away. "Question 3 was: Name the four current members of Toxic Soxx, and the last band that they belong to. Sam you hit the target first."

"Oh yeah!" she danced. "Boomer, baby, they would be: Charlie Haines, formerly of Bus Stops Here, James Savent from Buffy's Man Child, Doug Westhill came from Dapper Raptor, and rounding out our fabulous foursome is Oscar Zunniga who played skins for Jank Defuct! Oww!" She did a little spin and then got into Freddie's face, "What!"

Freddie wiped a small piece of spittle from his eye, and tried to stifle a smile. "You are correct," they heard Boomer yell, and she ran over to the crowd to get a round of high fives. On the way back, she tore off the 1 and put a 2 under Gabe's name on the scoreboard.

"Wow, we're onto question four," Boomer pulls out his cards. "Really? Only four? Wow, this is exciting already then, isn't it?" A sneer was almost perceptible as he started reading from the card. "Question four: What Hit from the King of Pop did Doug Perform at his live audition?"

Steve was the quickest with the ball that time. "You got it baby, You got it! Yeah," Tony yelled from the tank.

Steve started dancing like a female stripper and singing, "Dirty Diana, No!"

Boomer looked at him with a straight face and said, "Dude, I'll give you the point, only if you promise to never do that again." The crowd laughed and Steve ran up to give Tony a punch in the arm, as they grunted at each other. "Alright, now that that special male bonding moment is over, your score is now…zero." Boomer shook his head, "your parents must be so proud. Riley, remind me never to send my daughter to community college!"

He switched the card and read over it quickly. "The next question: Charlie Haines can be heard playing the balalaika on the song 'Trying to forget.' What is the Balialaika?" He looked up at Riley, "What the hell kind of question is this? 'What's a Balialaika?'" Riley looked up and pointed over at Freddie, who had hit the target to answer the question. "You know, Kid?" Freddie nodded. "Well then, hit me with it," Boomer nodded.

"A Balailaika is a 3 stringed instrument from Russia and the Ukranie. It has a triangular shaped soundboard and plays in higher pitches than a guitar. Historically it was used by the peasants to…" He didn't get to finish what he was saying because Sam had grabbed a piece of duct tape from one of the interns and taped it over his mouth.

"I tell you, I love this girl," Boomer chuckled. "And you kid," he said pointing at Freddie, "need to get out more. The answer is correct, whatever you said." The crowd gave a courtesy cheer, but Freddie couldn't enjoy it. He was too busy trying peel the tape off of his mouth without removing his lips.

"Moving on…how long is this game, anyway," Boomer sighed. "Question 437?" He finally pulled out the right card. "Six. Question six is: What original band member left in 2007 to pursue the exciting profession of Podiatry.

Freddie actually threw first, but it was just a bit off and he missed the target. Steve hit the target. "Kevin Haas," he said still in shock from pulling it out from under Freddie.

"That is correct," Boomer announced. "And now I bet he's taking all those feet and kicking himself in the ass. Bad move Kevin, Good move Steve!" He watched as Celia changed the number on the board. "You're actually worth something now! The score is Gabe and Freddie's teams are tied at 2 and you have 1. Moving on…"

He was obviously getting tired of all the questions at this point. "Question 7," he let out another long sigh. "How many # 1 hits came off of their 3rd album 'Desperation for Dummies'?

All three had their balls ready, but none of them launched at the target. Sam quickly looked back at the scoreboard. She was tied with Freddie. She cocked her arm and threw the ball, hitting square in the middle of the target…on Freddie's tank.

"Freddie," Boomer announced. "How many # 1 hits?"

Freddie's mouth hung open as he looked around. "But…But I didn't," he stammered. He looked over to see Sam empty handed with an innocent look on her face. "YOU!!!"

"Freddie, we need an answer," Boomer prodded.

"Sam threw her ball at my target," he defended. "See my ball is still in my hand!"

"As much as he's used to having his balls in his hands, Boomer, it was his target that was hit," Sam shrugged. "I think the rules said it's his turn to answer." They all turned to look at the producer.

Riley flipped through the rulebook for the answer. After a few seconds, he shook his head. "The rules only say if the target is hit, they have to answer. Since there is no stipulation for this situation, we'll stand by that rule." He cleared his throat. "Sorry, Freddie has to answer."

Freddie glared menacingly at Sam, then looked apologetically at Alana. He knew the best he could hope for was a lucky guess. "Three?" He winced as he waited for the results, if he could trade places with Alana right then, he would.

"Sorry," Boomer said mournfully. "Does anyone have the correct answer?" He waited a few seconds, but no one answered. "The correct answer is four." The plank let out a loud click and Alana silently dropped into the icy water. For once the crowd didn't cheer.

Sam felt a hundred pair of eyes suddenly resting on her. She looked over to see Whitney remove the 2 from Freddie's score and put up the 1 again. She suddenly felt extremely guilty. She only meant to put herself ahead. She forgot all about dunking Alana. She took a deep breath and walked over to the tank. Alana emerged from the water spit a stream out of her mouth that made her look like some weird pink hairy fountain.

"I'm really sorry," Sam said sincerely. "I didn't mean for you to get dunked. I just wanted to get ahead of Freddie." Alana didn't say a word. She just headed back to the stairs and stopped to talk to the intern. He smiled and ran behind the tanks, then came back with an empty bucket. Alana dropped it into the water, and walked back over toward Sam. "Alana?" Alana pulled the bucket back up, full of the icy water she was standing in. "Really?" Sam didn't back up, "alright, hit me with it." Sam braced herself and saw the smirk on Alana's face as she slowly tipped the bucket over and empty it on top of Sam's head.

"Whooah," Sam shivered as the icy water now dripped from her body. "Yeah, I probably deserved that," Sam conceded. "Feel better now?"

"Much," Alana smiled as she climbed back to her place. "Now Puckett, lets get rid of these baseball boobs."

The intern handed Sam a towel as she headed back to her spot. She gave Freddie a look that he understood as sorry as she passed. "Alright, let's get on with this game!"

"Well said," Boomer cheered. "Next question: Complete the lyrics. "You're a prissy little princess wanting the world on a platter..."

Sam was still on edge from the last question and she hit the target with lightning speed. "But guess what, baby. You're plans don't even matter." The crowd gave her a cheer, but it had dampened a bit from what happened with the last question.

Freddie turned to the crowd and yelled, "Aw, come on. You can do better than that!" He began waving his hands up to signify to the crowd to yell louder. Even Alana started waving her hands. The crowd started yelling, almost as much for Freddie and Alana as for Sam. Sam walked over to Freddie and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Alright guys," Boomer smiled. "Now that that drama is over, lets move on. Only two more questions left. Question nine: What did the band make their Bus Driver, Dennis, do when they visited the circus in their reality series?"

Again Sam beat out the others and hit the target. "They strapped the dude to this spinny board thing and threw knives at him. I swear the guy was going to pee his pants when the one hit between his legs. That was some funny chizz," she laughed giving the answer. "Man, I love that dude!"

"That _was_some funny Chizz," Boomer laughed with her. "And it's worth another point for your team." Whitney put up a number 4 up on the board. "With that, there are not enough questions left to beat that score. You are automatically moved into the next round!" Gabe jumped off of the platform and ran over and gave Sam a big hug. A collective "Aww," could be heard from the crowd. Freddie quickly diverted his eyes from them and watched Alana stare intently into the water.

Gabe ran back to climb up onto the tank to wait for the rest of the game, but then waved to get Boomer's attention. "Hey, since we don't need to score any more points, can I take her place?" He pointed over to Alana, who was shivering and clinging onto the platform.

Boomer looked over to Riley. Riley started looking though the rules again, as Gabe and Freddie both started the crowd chanting, "Let Her Go! Let Her Go!" After about 30 seconds, Riley shrugs his shoulders and threw the rulebook over his shoulder. He nodded at Boomer and the crowd erupted in cheers. Sam hopped over to Freddie and they got the crowd chanting "Riley, Riley, Riley!" Gabe went over and grabbed Alana's hand to help her down then quickly took her place.

"See folks," Boomer said. "Chivalry is alive and well in the youth of Seattle. Someone get the poor girl a towel." A couple lesser interns scuttled to her and brought her large towels to wrap in. "Let's give her a hand, folks." She gave a shy wave as she went over to join Sam for the rest of the contest.

Boomer motioned for the crowd to quiet down. "Here we are, with just the guys left. The girls are already finished with the game here," he said building tension. "I have one question left and the score is tied. You guys ready for the last question?"

"Bring it," Tony yelled, and Steve let out a primal scream in excitement.

"The last question is: What short term dance craze did The Soxx create with their video 'Heartland Fried!'

Neither team reacted right away. Freddie had a vague remembrance of something. He looked over at Sam and suddenly visualized her doing a silly dance a few month ago and showing it to the audience on iCarly. _What was the name of that dance_… He had to type it into the computer to put it on the screen. _It had a really weird name_. He closed his eyes and held up his hands like he was typing on the keyboard. Suddenly his eyes sprung open. He gripped the ball and launched it hard at the target.

"You got it this time Freddie?" Boomer asked.

"I think so," Freddie said. He looked over quickly at Sam and smiled as he held her gaze. "Is it The Szchafu-laroo?" Sam looked about ready to bust as they waited for the confirmation.

Boomer's face fell slightly and said, "I'm sorry, it looks like you won't be going to the final round…" Freddie bowed his head as Sam looked on in sad confusion, "…Tony and Steve," Boomer continued. "That answer was correct. Freddie and Alana are also going to the final round of Rock with the Soxx." Freddie began jumping up and down. Sam and Alana came over and got excited with him. "We'll see all four of you back here at 6:00, for the final competiton."

Gabe gave Freddie a congratulatory slap on the shoulder, then excused himself to go change. Alana followed him.

"You got it!" Sam said proudly.

"Well, I saw you doing the stupid dance enough times. I just had to picture you doing it," he laughed. The both broke out in the little dance while a little bit of the crowd that remained cheered them on. After a few seconds, they started laughing so much, that they needed to stop.

"So where are we off to next," she asked.

"Can we please, please go on the Scrambler?" He stuck his lip out like a toddler.

"Ugh," she groaned as she looked at him. "Don't do that, it only works with Carly, and I hate it when she does it, too. It's so low! All you had to do was ask, wonder boy."

* * *

**Ugh, I think I made Boomer way more skeezy than I intended to. That was a very long chapter. It may have been better as 2 chapters…or 6. Oh there's a couple name jokes in there if you can find them.**

**There's a few FYI's here for you:**

**1. KDJS is borrowed from the initials of Daniel James Schneider…creator of iCarly.**

**2. The name Mimoza is not from the drink, it is an Albanian name that means dream or vision. Janus, was a Roman god that could see both the past and the future. He was frequently used to symbolize change and transitions such as the progression of past to future,the growing up of young people.**

**3. I used to be in a travelling concert chior and we had this crazy bus driver named Dennis that we used to make dumb stuff all the time. Once we dressed him up in a big Care Bear costume (like Freddie in iPie). I loved that guy!**

**Interactives credits: New contributor, Sunset Clouds, inspired 3 of the contest questions (including the song lyrics). Most of the band names came from Basco 57, and one from my friend The Snillock. I wanted to send a shout out to Pockner, who stepped up to a challenge I threw down earlier this week. (I think Pockner's a she, but if not, mea culpa) She's not the only one, but she did exactly as asked, and incorporated my drabble to 5432 seamlessly into her own fic, "Those four words." Be sure to check her out.**

**Sadly, I think I am done with the interactives at this point. There _may_ be some coming up, but I can't think of any more at this point. Most of the story is settled, it's just a matter of getting it from my brain into the computer. Can't anyone invent a device that will do that? **

**So yesterday was a really sucky day. Maybe you can make me feel better by pushing that little review button there…please (she asks sticking her lip out and giving her best sad eyes)…yeah, I'm a little shameless like that.**


	9. Havin a ball, NOT!

**What's this? Two updates in the same week? Can it be? And another long one? Ahhh!!! What can I say, I'm on a mission. Kind of nice not to have to make a "sorry I didn't write, but…" excuse. So, thanks for the reviews. They did make me feel better. Ok, those who've reviewed know I try to respond. A couple were unsigned though so Silverphoenix (great name), karlarockangel, and Roseheart, thanks for the kind words, and mizkntuhke I think you'll be happy with the last chapter. **

**I wasn't sure about the last chapter, but you guys made me feel so much better. Apparently Boomer wasn't too skeezy for you. This chapter is very talky, and not one of the funniest chapters, but hopefully it's going to answer a questions or two. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, I never will, I've learned to live with that…so can we all move on now? Jeesh!**

* * *

Gabe came back quickly from changing. They all stood watching the KDJS crew rearrange the playing field as Sam and Freddie told him their plan of going to the Extreme Scrambler next.

"Alana, on the Extreme Scrambler?" Gabe visualized that for a minute then started laughing hysterically. "You're kidding right?" Sam and Freddie looked at him as he doubled over laughing, obviously not getting the joke. "She hates those things. You're more likely to get ol' Boomer there to join a Monastery than that," he laughed.

"Than what?" The voice behind them made them all jump. _Man, she's good at that_, Freddie thought.

They turned around to see Alana looking even better after coming out of the water than she had before she'd gone in. Her hair was swept up into a low bun, and the frigid water had left a pink glow on her cheeks. "Wow," Freddie's mouth hung open. "You look fantastic!"

"Thank you," she said as she kissed him on the cheek. Freddie blushed and shoved his hands in his pockets. "What were you talking about?" Alana asked sweetly.

Sam began to fidget next to her. Her curly hair now hung limp and dripping around her face, and her once swingy tank top clung lifelessly on her shivering frame. Even the bluebirds looked sad. She looked like a drowned rat next to the Sparkling Alana.

"Freddie wanted to take us somewhere next," Sam said trying to ring her wet hair out.

"Sam!" Alana saw her wet and shivering and immediately ran to grab a towel from one of the KDJS people. "How dare you guys let her stand here and shiver like this," she scolded the boys. "Sam lets get you dried off.

"No, its alright, I'll dry off as soon as we get moving again," Sam protested.

"She hates being fussed over," Freddie explained.

"Nonsense," Alana said excitedly. "Oh, I saw a top at one of those shops just before we went into Janis' tent. It'll be perfect for you!"

"You're choosing fashion for me based on something you saw while fleeing from scary biker dudes?" Sam said skeptically.

"It's a gift!" Alana shrugged. "So, what do you say?"

Freddie whispered over to Gabe, "Sam's not going to let her do it."

Gabe gave a knowing smile, "Alana's not going to let up until she does."

Freddie looked at Gabe, "Five bucks says Alana gives before Sam does."

Gabe shook Freddie's hand, "Deal." They sat back and watched the ladies.

Sam: "I'm fine, I don't need to change."

Alana: "You're not fine, you're shivering and dripping all over the place."

Sam: "Shivering is good for you, it burns calories!"

Alana: "Only until you die of hypothermia."

Sam: "I'm not going to die of hypothermia. Besides, I didn't bring any money to buy a new outfit."

Alana: "Who said I was going to let _you_ buy a new outfit, silly. I'm the one that got you wet, and I'm the one picking it out. It'll be my treat.

Sam perked up just a little bit, "you're buying?"

Alana smiled, "Of course!

"And I don't have to pay a thing?" Sam asked.

"Totally Free!" Alana let out a little pout, "Come on, Sam! It'll be fun!"

"Uh oh," Freddie shook his head. "She said the free word. It's over."

Sam slumped her shoulders. "Alright," she groaned.

Alana shrieked and grabbed her arm and started dragging her up the hill. "We'll meet you guys by the midway games in 15 minutes."

"But what about…" Freddie started to ask, but Gabe stopped him.

"Dude," he put his hand on Freddie's shoulder. "When she gets that look in her eye, you can't stop her. Let's go." Freddie slumped his shoulders in defeat and followed Gabe. "By the way," Gabe smiled. "You owe me five bucks, you're buying!"

They walked up to the basketball shooter game, and Freddie put down the five dollars. "Two games, please."

Gabe picked up one of the balls and got ready to take his shot. "So tell me about Sam," he said before sinking the first basket.

"What do you want to know?" Freddie asked leaning against the wall next to him. "I mean besides the fact that she's pushy, obnoxious, impetuous, and hates me."

Gabe chuckled a little as he grabbed another ball. "She doesn't hate you," Gabe said, not convinced of Freddie's act. "You guys are really good friends, though, right."

"I guess so," Freddie shrugged.

"That's it, just friends?" Freddie nodded. "She's cute, how come you've never dated?" Gabe took another shot, but it bounced off the backboard.

"Um, she's pushy, obnoxious, impetuous, and HATES ME," Freddie chuckled.

Gabe took the third ball and bounced it a few times for good measure. "She can't be all bad if you still hang out with her." He threw the ball and it bounced off of the backboard twice before going in.

"Oh, Lucky Shot," Freddie laughed. "So why do I hang out with her? Lets see: She's funny, and smart, even though she's lazy about schoolwork. She gets me into a lot of trouble…but she also gets me out of it." He chuckled as he remembered Lewbert. "One time she helped me keep my mom from dating the really Skeezy door man in our building."

"Oh really," Gabe said as he readied another shot. "How'd she do that?"

"Uh," Freddie ran his hand through his hair, "She pushed me down the stairs." Gabe put down the ball and looked at him. "Uh…Long story," Freddie chuckled.

"Do you have a lot of those?" Gabe asked as he shot again. "Long stories?"

"I guess so," Freddie shrugged. "Most of them involve Carly, though."

"Most, but not all?" Gabe asked picking up his last ball.

"No," Freddie smiled to himself. "Not all."

Gabe shot his last ball and it swished in without touching the rim.

"Four out of Five!" the barker yelled, and shoved him an ugly stuffed dog with purple ears. Gabe turned his nose up at the ugly dog, then turned around, smiled, and handed it to an old lady that happened to be walking by. The woman giggled as she waved and walked away.

"Your turn Benson," Gabe said turning back to the game.

"Do I get to ask the questions too?" Freddie smiled.

"Shoot!" Gabe said as he threw Freddie the first ball.

Freddie frowned a bit and aimed ball. He threw it and it immediately fell a foot and a half from the hoop.

"Wow, You suck at this!" Gabe laughed.

"Hey, if this were Killer Ninja's, I'd own you!" Freddie pointed at Gabe.

"Oooh," Gabe jokingly mocked. "Fear Freddie the Ninja Master!" He jumped up on the edge of the game. "By the way, when I said shoot, I meant the question…not the ball."

"Oh," Freddie said taking another ball. "Well then, you can tell me about Alana." He shot the ball again, which hit the rim and bounced off. "Obviously not my game." He groaned as he picked up another ball. "So, does it bother you that she's on a date with me?"

Gabe gave a little smile. "Alana likes you," he said as he took one of Freddie's basketballs. "You're lucky, she isn't like that with everyone." He twirled the ball on his finger as he spoke. "Nah, it doesn't bother me, I guess…as long as you're good to her."

Freddie pulled another ball and lined it up with the basket. "So tell me about her."

Gabe chuckled as he kept spinning the ball. "Well…obviously she's beautiful, and funny. She's really mature, but she has a silly side to her sometimes. Only the lucky ones get to see it." Freddie smiled remembering her dumping the bucket of water over Sam, and her face as she ran through the petting zoo.

"She's got a good heart and takes care of people." Gabe smiled to himself as he continued. "I'd get into things and would forget my brain sometimes, but she'd always make sure I stayed on track. The guys on the team used do give me grief over it, but it's kind of nice to have someone who knows you so well that you don't even have to ask, she just knows."

He started tossing the ball up in the air and catching it while lost in thought. "She's not perfect though. She's really strong-willed and knows what she wants, but she can be real pushy about getting it too. We used to get into really big fights over things...mostly over stupid stuff. She can get me going like nobody else." Freddie nodded his head. He knew how that felt. He shot the basket and it fell short, brushing the bottom of the net.

Gabe jumped off the game and bounced the ball. "One time I was nervous about a game. It was a really big game, against some really tough guys. She told me I should probably stay home and 'wash my panties' because I kicked like a girl, and I'd probably lose anyway. I swear if she was a guy, I would have decked her. I took it out on the field though, and we steam rolled over those guys." Gabe shot the ball, which rotated gracefully around the rim three times before quietly falling into the net. "It was one of the best games I ever had, and when it was over, I looked in the stands and there she was, smiling."

Freddie handed Gabe the last ball and went over to pay for more. "So what happened with you and Alana?"

Gabe grabbed the first ball and lined up the shot. "About 6 months ago Coach said he was considering me for Captain this season. It's a big deal cause they've never had a Junior as Captain. I worked really hard trying to prove myself to him and the team. Alana kind of got pushed to the wayside for a while."

"Ooh, I bet she hated that," Freddie winced as the ball swished into the net.

"Yeah, well she threatened to leave me. But I only had one focus." Gabe grabbed another ball and quickly dunked another shot. "Eventually I got Captain."

"I know, congratulations, you guys are incredible this season!"

"Yeah, thanks," Gabe said as he spun one of the balls before picking it up. "Wish she felt that way."

"Oh," Freddie frowned.

"Right! When I finally found out I got it, I couldn't wait to tell her. Apparently she couldn't wait either." Gabe shot another basket. "I showed up in her design classroom after practice and she was there with her arms around another guy."

"So? Maybe it wasn't…" Freddie tried to reason.

"The dude was stripped down to just his underwear." He pulled out another ball and started bouncing it hard. "Man, I knew she was a flirt, but I never expected anything like _that_ from her."

"So did you say anything?" Freddie asked concerned.

"Nah, I was too mad. She didn't see me, but that skuzzbag Riley Cooke sure did. He just gave me a huge smile before I walked away." Gabe shot the ball so hard that it bounced off of the rim and right back at him. He had to run to catch the ball and bounced it back up to the game.

"Riley Cooke? Perfect hair, kind of tall, just got his braces off so he shows his teeth to everyone Riley Cooke?" Freddie asked with amused confusion.

"Yup."

Freddie smiled to himself. "And I take it you didn't talk to Alana about it."

"Nope," Gabe answered, bouncing the ball again. "She tried to tell me she was measuring him for an outfit or something, but I didn't want to hear it. I just told her I needed to concentrate on the team and didn't have time for her anymore." He shot the ball to the basket and it swished in again.

"Wow, you're stupid!" Freddie's words caught Gabe off guard. "He wasn't with her."

Gabe shook his head as he started spinning the ball on the platform. "You don't have to make excuses for her. I know what I saw. They looked pretty cozy if you ask me."

"I'm not making excuses," Freddie smiled. "But I know he wasn't _with_ her." Freddie started to laugh and Gabe dropped his shot and looked at him confused. "Dude," Freddie said softly, "he's not into _hers_…he's into _hims_."

Gabe stared at Freddie in disbelief. "How do you know?"

Freddie ran his hand through his hair embarrassed. "Um…" He was very aware it wasn't cool for guys to gossip, but he decided this was a necessary exception. "I sort of caught him kissing Derek Giordano in one of the school's storage rooms a couple months ago."

Gabe dropped the ball to his knees. "Derek Giordano? From the wrestling team?"

"Only one I know," Freddie shrugged.

"Derek's ga…?" Gabe was having a hard time processing that bit of information. "But he, but he…"

"…likes to roll around on the floor with other guys?" Freddie chuckled.

"Oh," Gabe frowned, letting it sink in. "Oh!" He finally said shocked. "I always wondered why Derek hung around in the locker room so much. I thought he was getting himself psyched up for a match!"

"Ok dude, we are so not cool making assumptions like that," Freddie shook his head. "Like you said, he was probably just getting himself psyched up. I'm sure he wasn't looking at you."

Gabe looked at Freddie insulted. "Why wouldn't he look at me? I'm hot! I keep in shape!" Gabe took the last shot and it bounced off the rim onto the platform.

"Alright, Alright," Freddie said laughing. "The gay guy was looking at you. You happy now?"

Gabe launched himself at Freddie and wrestled him down to the grass. He had Freddie in a headlock giving him a noogie when the girls walked up.

"Wow Sam, I think we left them alone too long," Alana smirked.

"Shoot me now, I've hit bottom," Sam rolled her eyes. "I've been dumped for the dork."

"Nah, not me," Freddie laughed as he got up. "He already has a male admirer."

Gabe pushed Freddie and knocked him into Sam. Freddie rubbed his arm, laughing as he stepped back and looked at her. _Wow_, was the only word he could form in his head. She was wearing what looked like two scarves tied together revealing a peek at her creamy shoulders. The peacock color made her eyes look like they could see right to his soul. The desultory printed sheer fabric lay delicately over the tank top that hugged her curves underneath. There was a belt slung low across her hips that drew his attention to the fact that her shorts were now much shorter than they were before. They were still modest, but they had been cut off and rolled up so that they showed more leg than he had seen on her outside of the community pool. Her hair was tied back into a loose braid that allowed some of her wild curls to escape and frame her face. She was wearing just a hint of lip gloss. He'd never noticed her lips before, but right now her bottom lip was driving him crazy…especially since it was smiling at Gabe, who had the same reaction he did.

The makeover Carly gave her this morning was pretty, but it wasn't Sam. _This is different_, he thought. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but it suited her. He looked down and saw something that made him smile. Even with all the graceful clothes, she was still wearing her wild print sneakers, which somehow fit the outfit. _This is Sam_, he though. _Perfectly imperfect_.

His smile fell as Gabe came over and gave her a hug. Freddie shuffled over next to Alana and whispered to her, "Great Job!"

"That girl does not like trying on clothes!" Alana huffed.

"So I've heard," Freddie laughed, remembering the trip to Build-a-Bra the night before.

They watched the couple in front of them. Sam giggled as Gabe played with the fabric on her sleeve.

"Who knew under all that tough stuff, there could be something soft and tender?" Alana crossed her arms and looked at them with a strange smile. Freddie had seen it before in parents at their kid's graduation. That look of pride mixed with the knowledge that they'll have to let the go soon.

"Yeah," Freddie said softly. "Kind of like a nut!"

Alana elbowed him in the ribs, hard. Although it was painful, it had the desired effect of breaking her out of her reverie. They both started laughing, and Alana hooked her arm into his as the others joined them.

"So where was it you were going to take us?" Alana asked curiously.

"Only the thing that I've been dying to go on since I got here," Freddie said smiling. "The EXTREME SCRAMBLER!"

"You mean that cute little ride where you spin around and look like you're going to run into the other cars?" Alana asked cheerily.

"I've never heard it described as cute before, but Ok," Freddie laughed.

"I like that ride," she said hugging tighter onto his arm. "Especially the way it squishes you into the other riders." She couldn't help but notice grins on Sam and Gabe's faces.

"Right.." Freddie blushed a bit.

"Hey, before we go, I want to try to ring the bell!" Gabe said excitedly.

The four went to the end of the midway games to the large bell. "Step right up and ring the bell!" the barker yelled. "Show your strength and win your little lady a prize!"

"I'll take a shot," Gabe said as he handed the guy a dollar. He took off his shirt as the man handed him the sledgehammer. He handed his shirt to Sam and squared his hips to the anvil. He gave the hammer a couple of test swing before he finally raised it over his head and let it drop. The slider flew up the meter a little over half way, lighting up the section that said "not bad for a girl."

"Wow, Kid!" The barker laughed. "From the looks of you, I thought we'd have a bell ringer, but you did decent. Anything off the 2nd row is yours."

Gabe leaned over to Sam, "what's your pleasure?"

Sam jumped up and down as she spotted a pair of bright green jumbo sunglasses. "Oh, Those!" she pointed.

The lady behind the counter pulled them down and Sam immediately put them on her face. "How do I look?" They swallowed almost her entire face, but the others couldn't help but laugh. "Fabulous!" Alana laughed. "So You!" Came from Gabe. "Never looked better!" Freddie grinned.

Gabe put his shirt back on and they were getting ready to leave, but the barker stopped them. "Hey, what about you, Kid?" he pointed at Freddie. "Don't you want to win something for the lovely lady?"

Freddie blushed. "No, I'm no good at that sort of thing." He said backing away.

"Aw, come on." The barker encouraged. "It's just swinging a hammer!"

"Freddie, Freddie, Freddie." Alana started chanting and the others joined in.

"Fine," Freddie finally said as he gave the barker a dollar. He rolled up his sleeves and got a good grip on the handle.

"Come on Frederator!" Sam yelled. "You can do it!"

Freddie clasped the handle tight, pulled it up over his head and let it drop onto the anvil. The slider inched up the meter just barely over a third of the way, lighting up the section that said, "should you be out of the hospital?"

Freddie heard a collective groan as he dropped the handle to the sledgehammer. "I told you guys I wasn't any good at this," his face was bright pink.

"Eh, don't feel bad kid," the barker slapped him on the shoulder. He reached back and pulled out a sparkly toy wand and handed it to Freddie. "Oughtta have something for your trouble," he laughed.

"Great," Freddie grumbled, and handed it to Alana.

"I love it, Freddie!" she said as she gave him a hug.

"Yeah, whatever, let's just go!" They started walking over to the ride and saw that there was no line. They took off running and got to the line just as they were letting a group off. They handed their tickets to the weasly guy with the bad teeth, then took off to the farthest part of the ride. They took their seats across from each other and pulled the harness down over top of them.

"I don't remember this kind of bar," Alana said concerned to Freddie next to her. "I thought there was just one that sat across you lap.

They tucked their prizes away and waited for the ride to start. It was curious to Freddie that there didn't seem to be anyone else getting on the ride. The ride started turning and Alana gave a happy little scream next to him. After a few turns around the ride he noticed Sam looking over to the side of the ride with a panicked look on her face. He followed her gaze and saw a biker dude giving the ride operator money. Hard to miss was the tattoo of a sledgehammer across his chest. Sam's eyes met with Freddie's and they both screamed.

"I don't remember this part of the ride," Alana shrieked as the arms of the ride lifted up slowly. An evil smile spread across the biker dude's face, and something in Sam snapped.

"I am so done with this guy," she growled. "What's the matter Lumpy, someone steal your tricycle, now you're taking it out on us?" She yelled at him.

Gabe and Alana looked down and saw who she was yelling at.

"Oh My God, Sam, are you nuts?" Gabe yelled. Alana just screamed and grabbed tighter to her harness.

"Don't worry he's so dumb you'd have to dig to find his IQ!" She said loudly. "Dude if I stand next to your head can I hear the ocean?" She yelled out at him. The man flicked a switch and the ride doubled in speed.

"Sam Stop!" Freddie yelled.

"Can't handle a couple little kids there Chip, gotta use the big machine huh?"

The biker dude flipped another switch and the long arms they were attached to started waving up and down making it feel like they were plunging to the ground.

"Come on Sam, this isn't funny anymore," Gabe yelled, and his face started turning pale.

"Please make the scary guy stop, please make the scary guy stop!" Alana chanted clutching for life to the harness.

"The only thing scary about this guy is his face!" Sam yelled. "Dude, did your mom have to put a paper bag over your face to feed you?" All but Sam screamed as the arm of the ride dropped suddenly. "Did you get to see yourself in the mirror this morning, or did your reflection run away again?" The man flipped another switch and all of the sudden the seats they were in started flipping rapidly upside down.

"Oh My God Sam, Shut up!" Freddie yelled.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Gabe gurgled next to her.

"Come on you beef brain, Is that all you got?" She saw the man reach up to the controls one more time and suddenly everything stopped.

A voice came over the loudspeaker and announced, "We're sorry, but this ride is experiencing technical difficulties. Please come back later."

They were suspended 30 feet in the air and flipped face forward looking at the pavement. They couldn't even see each other. "Sam," Gabe yelled. "You are the most psycho person I have ever met in my entire life."

"Hey don't yell at her!" Freddie shot at him. "She saved your butt earlier."

"Yeah, and look where that got us." Gabe said pointing to the ground.

"I don't need you to defend me Freddie," Sam grumbled

"Yeah, why would you Freddie," Alana winced. "She does everything she can to humiliate and torture you."

"Yeah, but she'd also do anything she could to humiliate and torture anybody who tried to mess with me. That's just who she is."

"Not helping, dude!" Sam growled

"Maybe if she were a bit less abrasive, she wouldn't need to." Alana said angrily.

"Maybe you should just back off and leave her alone." Freddie yelled back at her.

"If I hear you yell at Alana again, I'm going to kick your ass dude!" Gabe threatened.

For the next five minutes, Sam tuned out what they were saying, she sat back and watched the biker guy drink a soda and listen them argue with each other. "You happy now dude?" She finally yelled at him. "Big bad biker dude likes to torture little kiddies by sticking them on a scary ride and getting them mad at each other!"

The others started yelling at her again, but she still wasn't listening to them. "You know, Conan," She yelled down again. "Maybe if you took care of that breath problem, someone would actually want to be with you and you wouldn't have to worry about _us_ so much anymore."

The beefy guy quietly stepped forward and flipped a couple switches. The ride started spinning fast and raising up and down again, only this time everything was moving backward.

Gabe started yelling at Sam again and calling her names. At least he did in between the times he was trying not to puke. While everyone else was screaming, Sam started laughing. Freddie thought she had finally lost those last marbles by how crazy she sounded. She put her hands in the air and started screaming with joy. Freddie looked over at the biker dude. He had a scowl on his face, like he was angry that she was happy. Freddie put his hands in the air and joined in. Gabe and Alana looked at them both like they were crazy.

Suddenly the arms of the ride slowly started coming down and it was settling down to a slower pace. Freddie looked over and saw that there was an old woman next to the Beefy dude. It was the same old lady that Gabe gave the stuffed dog to earlier. As the ride came to a stop the old woman dragged the biker dude by his ear over to the kids.

"You tell them you're sorry, Clarence!" She yelled as she shook his ear.

"Sorry I trapped you guys on the ride, " the biker dude said hunched over and frowning.

They all mumbled back to him, "no problem," and the old woman hit him and said, "for that no bubbles in your bath tonight!"

"But MA!" Clarence yelled as he chased behind her. Freddie noticed for an old lady with a cane, she sure could move.

"See ya, Clarence," Sam laughed and looked over to Gabe.

"Can someone get me out of this thing?" Gabe started to yell.

A couple of attendants came over and released their harnesses. Gabe immediately ran over to the nearest trash can and started puking out his guts. Alana rushed to his side and started gently stroking his back.

Sam walked up to them. "Hey, I'm sorry, I…"

"Don't come near me!" Gabe cut her off. "I don't even want to look at you right now!"

"Maybe you should just go, Sam," Alana said softly.

Sam turned on her heels and stormed away from the ride. She was moving pretty fast and Freddie had to run to keep up with her. She stopped when they got to the bell game again. Sam grabbed the sledgehammer. Freddie threw a dollar at the barker to keep him from stopping her, then he had to jump back to avoid being hit. Sam picked the hammer up and smashed it down as hard as she could on the anvil. The slider shot all the way up the meter and rang the bell at the top. The word "Superman" lit up bright as the barker yelled, "WE HAVE A WINNER!"

The barker shoved a large stuffed pony in her hands and she sadly dropped the sledgehammer. "Here," she said shoving the pony to Freddie. There was a crowd forming around them all waiting for their turn to ring the bell.

"Are you alright," he asked as he pulled her aside. She didn't answer. "Sam you don't need to listen to them. I know you were trying to get us out of it. They just don't understand it."

"That's just it, Freddie," she yelled. "Things like that just happen to me, I don't ask for them, but I don't back down from them either." She started walking, as she grew more aggravated. "Because of that, I'm just…"

"You're just what?" he tried to get her to look at him.

"I'm always going to come in second." She sighed. She saw Freddie look at her with confusion. "Second to girls like Alana…and Carly."

"If you think you're always second, you're not entering the right contests." Freddie smiled trying to cheer her up.

Sam looked at him for a second then burst out laughing. "That made absolutely no sense, Fredwierd."

"Yeah, I know," he laughed with her. "You're not always going to come in last though." Freddie brightened up. "As a matter of fact, what time is it?" Sam grabbed the wrist of a man walking by and twisted his arm to read his watch. "5:40," she read. Freddie grabbed her hand and started running toward the end of the park.

"Where are you taking me?" She yelled.

"To first place!" Freddie laughed back. Within a few minutes they were standing outside the Amphitheater. "How would you like to be my partner for the second part of this contest?"

**Hmm, so where do we stand on the whole liking/hating Gabe and Alana now folks? Did that at least answer some questions for you. Wow, it's late (or early depending on your POV), and I am not feeling clever!**

**Again I don't have any more interactive questions for you. Darn, that was so much fun!**

**For this story the interactive contributors were:**

**Hypo'Lana, Absolutely M, and a little bit of Silver Cloud Lullaby. BTW: if you read the review pages (I do, I don't know about the rest of you) A lot of these reviewers have some great stories on here. Check them out!**

**Well, I've done my job, now you do yours. Let me know what you think. **


	10. So Many Obstacles

**Hello All, Thanks for joining me again, in this epic tale.**

**First of all…for my own satisfaction, I feel I need an explanation (not a defense) of Gabe and Freddie's comments on the wrestler being gay. No, I don't think that wrestlers, or wrestling is gay…(unless you count most of the WWE, but who doesn't think it's gay-wink). I am close with guys who are wrestlers, and Coffee Noodles, you are correct. The worst thing about them is some have given themselves eating disorders trying to make their weight class (worse than being gay any day!). This wasn't about wrestlers; it was about stupid attitudes. I wanted to make it shocking to Gabe that a fellow **_**jock**_** could be gay, (oh, and the fact that he was totally wrong about Alana). It had to be someone he knew and respected, but wasn't close to. Wrestling is so misunderstood, that it was an easy one to use. When people find out someone is gay, there's this whole "I should have seen the signs" thing that goes on. They're teenagers, of course they're going to think stupid thoughts like that. I tried to temper it a little by having Freddie say that they weren't cool by making assumptions about Derek. So, lets review: I wasn't trying to bash on wrestlers, or gay people…just stupid teenage boys who don't understand them. All clear?**

**Alright, on to this chapter, yay! I get to write Boomer again! So on with the show…**

**Oh wait, one more quick thing. (Always something isn't it). I added some links to the bottom of my profile as to what was going through my head in describing the characters. There's also other stuff like sort of how I pictured the "Scrambler" and you can see what a Balalaika is (one of Freddie's questions from the trivia contest). I even went virtual shopping for Sam's outfits that were described. So…if you're interested in that sort of thing, go take a look. **

**Ok, On to the story for real now. Right after this…**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own iCarly, but I have a new plan! I'm going to disguise myself as a happy orange splat and see if I can infiltrate the bowels of Nickelodeon. I'll just plaster myself against the walls until I get to the iCarly stage. Then, while they're happily making their little show, I'll scoop them all up in my mysteriously enlarging bag, and take them all home with me! (Maybe I'll leave Lewbert) Think it'll work?**

* * *

Sam and Freddie watched the commotion on the field as they approached. There were giant inflatable obstacles everywhere, and people were hammering stakes into the ground. It looked like a camera crew setting up on a platform next to the course. Freddie eyed the equipment longingly as they past.

"Easy boy," Sam smirked. "Don't jizz yourself before we even start."

Freddie scowled at her and blushed a bit at the comment. They kept walking through until they finally found someone they recognized.

"Whitney," Freddie shouted as he ran up to her.

"Yes," she said looking down on them. "Can I help you?"

"We're here to check-in," Sam smiled.

"Oh, Freddie," she frowned. "Where are Gabe and the other girl?" She asked looking past them.

"He's feeling a bit sick right now, and Alana's helping him. But that's ok, Sam's going to be my partner." Freddie pointed.

"What? No, he's gotta be here! We gotta have two teams to play this game! Besides, you can't change partners. You already started with the others! " she said in a panic.

"Look Witchy!" Sam yelled.

"It's Whitney," she rolled her eyes.

"Not from where I'm standing," Sam growled. "Only one of the team members had to sign up. The only team members you have solid are Freddie and Gabe. _My_ name isn't on either team. Those were _your_ rules. I had my turn with Gabe, now I'm partners with Freddie." She took a step into Whitney's face. "You got that?"

Whitney backed away from Sam with wide eyes. "Riley!" she called. She quickly turned and stomped away in a tantrum yelling for the producer. "RILEY!!!"

Freddie turned to Sam as they watched Whitney storm away.

"She's going to bring that producer guy back with her," he explained. "You already pushed the rules in the last game, maybe you ought to let me do the talking this time."

"But…" Sam started, but Freddie quickly cut her off.

"If you get them mad then we'll probably all be disqualified," Freddie explained urgently. "We need to be charming."

"I can be charming!" she pushed him hard.

"Yeah…to snakes! Ow," he yelled back, rubbing his arm. "Look, if we don't do this right, none of us are going to win," he said quickly as they saw Riley walking towards them.

"Are you gonna let me do the talking?" Freddie asked as he caught her eye quickly.

"Alright, Fine." Sam grumbled. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for the producer to approach.

Freddie made the first move. "Hello Mr, uh…. Riley."

"Smooth," Sam muttered under her breath, before Freddie nudged her with his elbow.

"Yeah, whatever kid," Riley sighed. "Britney tells me…"

"Whitney," Freddie corrected.

"Do I look like I care what her name is?" Riley sighed. "Intern Bimbo # 2 tells me you guys wanna switch partners." He said flipping through his clipboard.

"Yes." Freddie stood up straight in and attempt to seem more intimidating. "We feel that with the lack of clarification in the rules, that we should…"

"Fine," Riley cut him off, adjusting his headphones. "Just go get changed and be back at that platform in 10 minutes." He gestured over to a large standing platform that had one of the cameras pointed to the inside of the obstacle course.

"That's it?" Freddie asked shocked. "You don't care why we're changing partners or anything?"

"Look Kid," Riley rolled his eyes, bored at the conversation. "I don't care if you tap dance naked to the Star Spangled banner. I have one more week of this hell hole then I start my new job at KRAP."

"You mean that station that does the Rap Attack Playback?" Sam smiled.

"Fo Shizzle, Home Skillet! You got 10 minutes Dawgs." He threw up two fingers at them and turned around. "Peace," he yelled over his shoulder as he walked away.

Freddie turned around and smiled at Sam.

"Yeah, don't act like you did anything, Mr. Charming," Sam rolled her eyes as they headed over to change. "So how exactly do you expect to beat Gabe, anyway? You're not exactly Olympic material there Sparky."

"Gee thanks for the vote of confidence," Freddie deadpanned.

"Just saying," Sam shrugged.

"Well, I don't think I'll need to," Freddie smirked. Sam looked at him curiously. "We start in 10 minutes," he continued. "…And where is Gabe?"

"Puking his guts out!" Sam said excitedly. "Let's change clothes and meet back here to get my tickets, Frederina!"

"You mean _our_ tickets," Freddie grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah. There's gotta be a down side to everything," Sam smirked. "Hurry up and get changed."

They changed into their KDJS tracksuits and met back out front. They rushed back up to the platform. No sign of Gabe and Alana. They saw Boomer emerge from a group of somewhat important looking people.

"Ah, there's my girl," Boomer said pointing to Sam. "Give em Hell out there Sweetheart!"

Sam gave an awkward smile back and shot him two thumbs up. A small crowd in KDJS tee shirts enveloped him again and it seemed they were talking about something urgently.

A small smile crossed Freddie's lips. "What's up?" Sam asked noticing his smile.

"They've probably just realized that Gabe and Alana aren't here." He turned and gave her a broad smile. "We are going to that concert, Baby!"

Sam gave him a quick little fist bump as the crowd around Boomer dispersed and people started getting into their places.

A burst of light hit them, as Boomer came over with a fresh Microphone in his hand. Riley seemed to be pushed aside and replaced by a big guy in a bomber jacket and baseball hat. Freddie assumed he must be the video director by the way Boomer was focusing all of his attention on the man.

A few more seconds of fidgeting and the man suddenly yelled, "Alright, we are going live in 5, 4, 3, " he silently held up fingers for the 2 and the 1, then pointed to Boomer as music started playing in the background.

"How come he didn't say the 2," Sam whispered. Freddie shrugged and turned his attention back to the DJ.

"How's everyone doing out there?" Boomer yelled. Someone waved at the audience and they returned a deafening cheer. "I'm Boomer Rossi from KDJS. We are back at the Seattle Fair for the last leg of the Rock with the Soxx Contest." The crowd let out another cheer and someone in the audience yelled out "We love you Boomer!"

"Hey, look at that," Boomer chuckled. "Sounds like I got a future ex-wife in the crowd. So there are a few things different here. If you haven't noticed, we have cameras all around the field. Ladies and Gentlemen, for the first time ever, we will be streaming the contest live on . So, if you're near a computer log on right now and you can see the amazing set up we have for this evenings event."

The crowd cheered again and Sam and Freddie noticed another camera pulling in close and zooming in on their faces. As the crowd died down, Boomer turned his attention to the new camera. "The other difference is, it seems during out little break we had a shake up in the teams. Standing with me here are Freddie Benson and his _new_ partner Sam Puckett. Say hi to the people kids!"

"Hello," Freddie said into the microphone.

"When you gonna give me my tickets," Sam asked unimpressed.

"I love this girl!" Boomer laughed and shook his head. "You might be wondering what happened to the other team," he asked into the camera. Freddie and Sam gave each other a huge knowing grin. "Well," Boomer turned to look back over his shoulder. "Here they come right now, Gabe Asher, and Alana Michaels!"

The crowd erupted into cheers as Gabe and Alana came out hand-in-hand in matching KDJS tracksuits, looking like perfect Barbie and Ken. Freddie and Sam looked at each other in shock. When the other two reached the platform, they gave each other a quick kiss, then Alana looked at them with a little smirk.

"So guys, you ready?" Boomer asked the new couple.

"Hell Yeah, we are," Gabe cheered.

"Alright," Boomer said hitting him on the shoulder. "Our next even, if you haven't guessed yet is an obstacle course," he gestured behind him. "Now there are

six tasks to this course and the first _team_ across the finish line wins," he explained looking between them. "If you guys are ready, why don't you go take your places."

The two teams followed Boomer over to a painted yellow line on the field. The first thing that Sam noticed was a table full of pies marked off into four sections.

"What's with all the pies," Sam asked.

"That, Sam is your first challenge," he explained as he turned to the camera. "The challenge goes as follows." A video started playing a quick clip along with Boomer's explanation of the course.

On this table you will find four sections, one for each of you. Each section contains 10 pies. In one of those pies is a key that unlocks the door in front of you," he gestured to the four doors. "Past that door is a maze. You're going to make your way through the maze and out the other side. From there, you will grab one of these harnesses," he pulled out a harness to demonstrate, "and hook yourself up in it. The attendant will make sure you are strapped in. When he says ok, you're gonna climb that inflatable wall over there. When you get to the top, you may unhook yourself and slide down the other side. You guys with me so far?" They all nodded their heads. "Any questions?"

Sam raised her hand, "Are any of these pies loganberry?"

Boomer chuckled. "And a healthy appetite to boot, folks," he said as he put his arm around her shoulder. "I don't know kid, but if there's not, we'll make sure you get one before you leave here today."

"Nah, that's ok," Sam shrugged. "I don't really like loganberry.

"Ok then," Boomer said turning back to the obstacle course. "That's the first half of the course," he explained. "Moving on to the second half, when you come down the slide you'll find an alleyway with a _little surprise_ there waiting." Boomer started grinning and nodding when he said 'little surprise'. The KDJS staff started chuckling among themselves, but no one else seemed to get the joke.

"Alright, you're going to make your way through the alley, on the other side there is a series of ropes. You're going to crawl over and under the ropes until you reach the other end. From there, you will carry your partner the remainder of the distance to the finish line. The one rule there is, the partners have to cross the line together." All of the contestants nodded their heads again. "_Now_, are there any other questions?"

Freddie raised his hand. "Are we allowed to help each other out?"

"As long as you go through all the obstacles and cross the finish line together, you can get there however you like," Boomer nodded. "We okay? Alright lets get started."

The four contestants took their marks at the starting line. They were each given a helmet and a pair of goggles. Once they were all strapped in, the camera got a running shot of them all on the line ready to go. "On the gun," Boomer shouted. "On your mark, Get set…" Bang went the gun and all four started in a short run to the table.

Sam dove into her first pie. She started with the Crème pies first, figuring they would be easier to feel around with her tongue. She quickly moved past the Coconut, and the Chocolate, and had just started on the Banana. She took her second bite into the Banana pie and felt something solid. She plunged her face in and came out with the key. She grabbed the key out and noticed what Gabe and Alana were doing. Gabe was on his 2nd pie, but he was biting mouthfuls and spitting them out. Alana was barely finishing her first, but she was getting so grossed out by it that she was going very slowly at it.

Sam nudged Freddie aside and dove into a cherry pie next to her. Freddie had finished off the Apple and the Peach pies, without finding the key. They suddenly heard a commotion next to them and Freddie looked up to see that Gabe had found his key and took off through the door, and Alana had moved on to her second pie. Freddie threw the empty pies aside and went for the lemon meringue. Sam was already grabbing for the Boston Crème. Failing at both of those, they each grabbed for another. Sam had already started into the pumpkin pie as Freddie grabbed the Chocolate Meringue. Within four bites Freddie's tongue hit the key and he fished it out, just as Alana started on her fourth pie.

Sam and Freddie both wiped their faces and headed for the doors. They couldn't tell where Gabe was, but they kept calling to each other throughout the maze. Gabe had already passed through the maze and was starting the climbing wall when Freddie made it through to the other end. Sam had made a wrong turn somewhere and was stuck in the middle of the maze. They could hear the crowd shout as Alana started into the maze. Freddie got into his harness, but noticed that Sam wasn't there yet. He took a few steps back toward the maze and started calling out to her.

"Sam, I'm over here," he yelled.

"Where, Dipwad?" She was quickly becoming annoyed.

"Follow the sound of my voice," he shouted. "And I really wish you'd stop calling me names. My mom, hardly lets me come over to do the show anymore because she hears the names you call me during the web cast and she's afraid it's going to cause permanent psychological damage," he scolded.

"That's because your mom is permanently psychologically damaged," Sam smiled as she came out the end of the maze.

Freddie chuckled, "you're probably right." He grabbed the harness and helped her step into it and latch the hooks. Once they were secure, they started up the wall. They were grabbing onto tiny ropes sewn into the bag. The hands were easy enough, but the footholds were harder. They were each about 7 feet up the bag when Alana came through the maze.

"Go Sam!" Freddie yelled as Alana started to put on her harness.

Sam stuck her foot in a rope hold and reached to the next rope quickly. She was able to move quicker when she wasn't keeping pace with Freddie. Freddie continued to climb, but his toes were having a harder time fitting into the ropes. When Sam finally reached the top, Freddie was still only 2/3 the way there. Alana was just under half way, but she seemed to be closing in on Freddie pretty quickly. Sam turned and grabbed Freddie's rope and helped pull him as he climbed. It quickened his pace by about 3 times and within a minute he reached the top. They quickly undid their harnesses and turned around to see Alana well past the halfway mark.

Sam grabbed Freddie's arm. "On the count of three we're going to jump into the slide, just like when Carly and I jumped off the cliff into the water last summer."

"But Sam…" Freddie said fearfully, but she had already started the count.

"One," she said as she watched Alana getting closer. "Two," she said as she started rocking on her feet. "Three! Jump Freddie!"

Freddie let out a terrified scream as they jumped off the side of the platform and onto the slide. The weight of them hitting the bag together caused the inflated bag to jump. Alana was knocked off the other side, and was quickly lowered to the ground. Once they were mostly down the slide, Freddie's terror scream gave way to a fit of laughter, and they gently plopped off the other side.

At the bottom of the slide, they could see the top of Gabe's head just over the wall of the alleyway. Freddie watched with wide eyes, as Gabe was struggling with something and a couple times completely disappeared.

"Well, come on Fredenstein," Sam dragged him. "It's not gonna get any better." They peeked into the alleyway. They could see a straight shot to the other end, but there were barrels lining the walls along the way. Freddie tentatively took a step in, but was shoved the rest if the way in by Sam. They walked through several feet together, when all of a sudden they heard, "Entrega fea del cerdo!" Two little men in colorful skin tight face masks jumped out and grabbed at them.

"Little Luchadores!" Sam shouted excitedly. Freddie wasn't as excited, seeing as one had climbed on his back and was pulling at his hair. The one that had attached himself to Sam's leg, she quickly disposed of by doing a backwards pile driver. While her guy was rubbing the dizzy out of his head, she ran over to help Freddie detach himself from his. She climbed onto one of the barrels and jumped onto the little elf, knocking him off of Freddie, and taking a chunk of hair with him. Sam had one of the wrestlers pinned and Freddie was trying to get off the ground, when the other grabbed his leg and was trying to pull him down again. Sam managed to get the one in a sleeper hold and he was out for the count. Freddie was still trying to shake off the one that had grabbed hold of his leg. Sam grabbed that one around the chest and pulled against him with all her weight until he came flying off of Freddie. Unfortunately, Freddie's pants came off too. While he was momentarily tangled up in Freddie's pants, Sam jumped over him and ran toward the boy in boxers. She pushed him out of the alleyway and onto the platform for the next obstacle. Freddie turned and was about to go back for his pants, but Sam grabbed his arm.

"Forget it, Kid." She panted. "I'm not rescuing you again." She dragged him toward the next station. They looked to see about 10 ropes stretched across a shallow trench filled with whipped cream. Gabe was already moving in an over under motion, and was two ropes from completing the task.

Sam sunk low to the ground and started to crawl under the first rope. She got halfway under and turned to see Freddie still standing there. "You gonna stand there and look at my butt all day, or are you gonna follow me?" Freddie blushed a little then bent down to follow her under the rope. "Here grab onto my jacket, that way you won't get stuck under the wrong ropes," she said as she crawled out from under one rope and headed over the next. Freddie slipped and his face landed full force into the whipped cream. The goggles covered his eyes, but he still couldn't see anything through them. He reached up to what he thought was Sam's armpit, but he heard her gasp and received a big slap across his head.

"That wasn't my jacket, Dork butt!" She yelled.

"Sorry," he mumbled almost inaudibly. He could feel his face burning so hot, he was sure the whipped cream would melt off. Sam grabbed his hand and pulled him up on the other side of the rope with her. They continued this rhythm through most of the obstacle, until they suddenly heard Gabe (who had already completed this task) yelling.

Freddie looked back to see Alana running wildly, kicking and screaming through the alleyway. The little luchadores were there, but she was flailing so much, that they really couldn't get near her. She looked like a mad woman, but she got through the alleyway untouched. She hit the platform on the other side and dove under the first rope. Sam and Freddie started to pick up their pace. They finished the last two and headed onto the grass.

Alana was making quick work of the over/under and Gabe was waiting there cheering her on. "Sam, we're not that far ahead, I don't think I can outrun him," Freddie said worriedly.

Sam grabbed Freddie's arm and flipped herself underneath it so that he was behind her with his arms over her shoulders. "Jump on," she commanded.

"What?" Freddie asked shocked. The crowd cheered as Alana dove under the last rope.

"Do it Nub!"

Freddie grabbed tighter around her neck and jumped up and wrapped his legs around her. In one quick movement, she grabbed his legs and started running. Alana came out the other side; Gabe was already turned around and waiting for her. She took a leap onto Gabe's back and slid immediately to her butt on the grass. The whipped cream, and Gabe's lack of hips had made it more slippery than they figured. Sam and Freddie were able to gain a small lead, but Gabe quickly ran over and scooped Alana up into his arms. He ran as fast as he could, quickly gaining on Sam and Freddie. The crowds were getting louder as the end was getting closer.

"Go Sam, Go!" Freddie shouted into her ear and she dug in and went as fast as her legs could carry her. She could hear Gabe coming up beside her, almost even. The finish line was right there, just a few steps more…but so was Gabe. With all the strength she could muster, Sam bent her knees and dove into the finish line. She broke the tape, just past Gabe, and she and Freddie rolled to a stop on the other side.

Sam lay there panting for a moment before Freddie went over to help her up. The crowd was loud, but they could barely be heard past the beating sound of her heart. All four of the contestants waited in silence for Boomer to come over. He gathered them all together. "Wow kids," Boomer cheered. "This was one hell of a race, and right here I have two ticket and backstage passes for…"

They all waited anxiously for him to announce the winner. Sam, who still hadn't totally caught her breath, grabbed his collar and growled, "Dude!"

A smile slowly spread across Boomer's face as he announced, "Freddie and Sam!"

Sam and Freddie both started jumping up and down. In her exuberance, Sam leaped into Freddie's arms, but he wasn't ready and he fell to the ground backwards with her landing on top of him. They were both laughing and breathing hard. Sam raised up to look at him and their eyes froze on each other for a moment…A moment that was broken when Boomer walked up to them and joked, "Whoa hold on there kids this show is PG-13. "

Sam got up and helped Freddie up. Gabe and Alana walked over and asked "No Hard Feelings?" Sam scooped a bite of whipped cream off of his slightly exposed chest.

"Nope!" she laughed. Alana looked down at Freddie's legs, and smiled, which of course made him blush.

"Let's hear it for our winners here." The crowd gave a deafening cheer. "Let's also hear it for our Little Luchadores," Boomer yelled as the four little men in masks came forward. "We have: Pequeño Diablo , El Muerto Negra, Zorro del Oro, and Le Bestio Feo." Each of the little wrestlers took a bow in front of the cheering crowd.

"That is so cool," Sam jumped excitedly. "I always wanted to have a Mexican Wrestler name."

The luchador in the gold mask stepped forward. "Si niña," he said to Sam. "How about La Cobra Azul." Sam looked a bit puzzled for a moment.

Boomer stepped forward, "Let me see if my five years in Cabo paid off, he called you The Blue Cobra, si?" he asked the wrestler, who shook his head in affirmation.

"I want one," Gabe cheered.

"How about Roboto Guapo," the wrestler nodded.

"The Handsome Robot?" Boomer questioned. Again the luchador nodded his head.

"I will call you Guepardo Loco," he said to Alana.

Boomer started to laugh, " The Crazy Cheetah, would be very accurate for that performance in the alleyway."

"What about me?" Freddie asked.

The luchador looked down at his legs. "How about El Mono sin Pantalones," he laughed.

The crowd started to laugh with him, but Freddie just grumbled, "The Monkey Without His Pants. Oh Har Har!"

"Then how about El Matadito?" The wrestler said, giving Sam his pants back.

"That's not bad," Freddie smiled. "I'd much rather be called that. El Matadito!" Freddie put his hands on his hips and thrust out his chest like a superhero.

"You do realize he pretty much just called you a nerd," Boomer chuckled.

Freddie growled in frustration as he grabbed his pants and started putting them back on again.

"Let's give it up for our losers today, Gabe and Alana!" Boomer said to the crowd. Gabe reached over and pulled Alana into a hug and kissed her forehead. "It was real close Guys." Gabe threw his hand in the air and waved to the cheering crowd as the turned to walk away.

" Now for you two," Boomer turned to Sam and Freddie. "Here are your tickets and your backstage passes." He held them up for the crowd to see. "So what are you two excited to hear tonight?"

"Not you," Sam said as she grabbed the tickets and passes from his hands. "See ya!"

Boomer chuckled as he watched them walk away. "A girl who knows what she wants. There goes another one of my future ex-wives, folks!"

"In your dreams," Sam yelled over her shoulder without looking back.

**

* * *

**

Ok, sometimes being lazy pays off. Sometimes you get these "whack on the head" inspirations out of nowhere, like the little luchadores. Thanks to Invader Johnny for calling Freddie El Matadito. Incidentally, I found a Mexican Wrestler Name Generator and just for kicks plugged in the iCarly gang's names into them. This is what came out.

**Sam = Chile Misterioso (mysterious Chile)  
Freddie = Huevos Rapido (quick eggs)  
Carly = Super Mega Anaranjado (super mega orange)  
Spencer = Chile Retardo**, **(hmm, nuff said)**

**These made me laugh, so I had to share.**

**Hold onto your hats kiddies! I have an interactive question for you! (Probably my last). What is a totally awesome job (or hobby) that a teen (guy) or his parents could have? Oh, and that they might be doing on a Sunday. Think big, like Circus Clowns! LOL, that would be funny. One that would make you say, aww you're so lucky! Oh, and it has nothing to do with Alana/Gabe or any of the iCarlies…they just know someone that knows someone. That's all I can say! No you can't drag it out of me!**

**One last thing…my goal was to finish the story before I left for vacation today. Since I don't really want to leave the story here, I failed in that mission. That means you have to wait until I get back to update. Please do not let this discourage you from leaving me a glowing (or not so glowing) review in my inbox. Just think how happy that would make me when I come back all sunburned and broke…almost like someone likes me, or something. Just remember it'll be a week before I can respond. =D**


	11. Random Dancing and Revelations

**Hello Kiddies! So, I survived without cell service, fought off scary taranulas, saw a bunch of other weird wildlife, slept under the starts, ate a s'more (eww gross!) and managed to only get slightly sunburned (this is the from the girl so white, I get stained by Kool-aid…no really, it happened. I thought it was a rash). Anyway, I'm back from vacation (boy am I back from vacation), and I come bearing gifts. The entire story is now complete. Only one chapter at a time though.**

**  
Who couldn't tell by the last chapter, that I've been watching a lot of Wipeout and I Survived a Japanese Game Show this summer? That was a lot of fun. Here is Chapter 11 for you, a little bit different than you're used to, but I hope its fun none the less. I could sit here and describe it for you, or I could just let you go ahead and read it.**

**Disclaimer: Well it seems the powers at Nickelodeon are onto my little plan, and Operation Splat is a no go. It was announced Monday that sometime in the fall, they are changing the logo from the loveable orange splat to some boring straight orange lettering (If I had Sam's remote, I'd press the boo button now). Alas this means that I have no current plan to liberate iCarly, and it still belongs to Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon. Booo! , I mean yay for them!**

* * *

Freddie and Sam rushed to get ready and headed backstage with passes in hand. The freak show of weirdos was always Sam's favorite part of concerts, and this one didn't disappoint. They handed their passes to a nearly seven foot tall security guard that was so hairy he would have made a Yeti jealous.

"There you go," Freddie said as he handed over the passes, and tried not to sound too intimidated by the man's size. He read the guards badge. "Stavros?" The man eyed Freddie as he took the passes from the pair and scanned over them with a flashlight. He then shined the light at Sam and Freddie, even though it was still fully light and they were completely visible.

Finally satisfied that they weren't teenage stalker assassins, Stavros smiled and gave the badges back to them. "You kids have a great time," they heard. Both Sam and Freddie's heads shot up to his hairy face quickly. The voice was high and squeaky, and Freddie could see the laughter forming Sam's face. He was not in the mood to be pummeled by the Jolly Greek Giant, so he grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hall before she could suddenly erupt in a fit of giggles.

Freddie was finding it hard to keep a straight face as various people and crew walked past, and would pause to see the spectacle of Sam laughing hysterically. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" a very self-important woman in a business suit rushed to ask them.

"We're the winners of the KDJS radio station's contest," Freddie explained.

"And where's your guide?" The woman rolled her eyes.

"Where's our what?" Sam finally asked as her laughter began to die down.

"I swear," the woman mumbled under her breath. "These radio people are always such morons. Where the Hell is Leon?" She grabbed her cell phone and pressed a couple buttons. "Don't move," she ordered Sam and Freddie as she wandered away to yell at someone on the phone.

They watched her pace back and forth across the hall for a few minutes. "Poor Leon," Freddie frowned. He looked over and saw Sam with a glint in her eye. She was watching as a large crate was being rolled toward them by two of the road crew. "Sam, no," he said, understanding the look in her eye. "She told us to stay here!"

"You can stay here, dork," Sam smirked, "But I'm not wasting these backstage passes by waiting on some she-dragon with a stick up her butt!"

Freddie looked back and forth between the approaching crate and the crabby woman. He quickly ducked behind the crate with Sam as it rolled past him. They crept along next to the crate as it rolled right past the shrew and onto the back of the stage. They giggled as they hid behind one of the enormous speakers. "Glad to see those panties unbunch themselves every now and then, Benson."

"I'll thank you to keep your nose out of my panties, Puckett!" Freddie scowled at her.

"Ew, No problem there, Fredlumps!" Sam said disgusted. She stepped out from behind the speaker and looked at the stage. "Whoa, check this out!" They were on the stage looking out to the Amphitheater in front of them. The place was empty, but they could see about 800 seats facing them. Sam grabbed the set of drumsticks from the kit near her and banged unceremoniously on a few of the drums. "Thank you Seattle!" She yelled into the silent microphone.

Freddie laughed and ran over to one of the guitars. "I've always wanted to do this!" He picked it up and strapped it across his shoulder. He raised his hand and eagerly strummed across the strings. The sound coming from the powerful speakers reverberated eerily through the empty amphitheater.

Freddie quickly put the guitar back as the echo began to die down. "What did you do Freddork?" Sam yelled. She grabbed his arm and started running down the backstage steps, toward the under stage area.

"Me? You're the one that started playing around in the first place." He yelled back. "How was I supposed to know it was turned on?" He was tripping over his own feet a bit as he followed her. Once they were under the stage, he shook her off his arm and started stomping away from her. "I swear Sam you get me into more tro…" He stopped when he ran right into a man with a completely bald head. There was a long scar across his head that had a tattoo of a zipper etched into it, and a tattoo of a giant black tarantula covering the entire left side of his face.

The man looked at Freddie with his ink black eyes. His eyes were no longer white, but appeared as dingy yellow. "What are you doing here," the man asked in more of a growl than with actual words.

"I…I uh, got lost?" Freddie stammered. "Sam!"

"What is it now, dork head? I spend more time saving your pansy…" She grumbled as she came around the corner. "Whoa!"

As soon as the man saw Sam he let out a low and slow chuckle. It sounded so sinister that it made Freddie shudder. "Come with me," he ordered them. Freddie and Sam looked at each other. The man started to walk away but noticed they weren't following him. "Now!" he barked at them.

His yell made them jump, and they slowly started following him. "It was nice knowing you Sam," Freddie whispered over to her. Sam rolled her eyes and began pushing him in front of her.

Several dark hallways later, they reached a black door. The man gave them an eerie half smile, then reached up and knocked a rhythm that was obviously some code. The door slowly creaked open a little; just enough for whoever was inside to see who it was that was knocking. "We have guests," the man chuckled, and the door widened. Sam and Freddie were met by bright light inside, and they had a hard time seeing any figures in the room. The tattooed man not-so-gently pushed Freddie into the room, and Sam followed closely behind.

Freddie could now make out the back of a tall chair that was facing away from him. The tattooed man went and whispered something into the ear of someone in the chair, then looked up at them again, and chuckled.

"Come in," said the voice in the chair.

"He…Hello?" Freddie stammered as he covered his eyes. "I'm Freddie and this is Sam, we're…

"I know who you are…" the voice cut them off. "Franklin here has told me all about you." The tattooed man leaned against the counter behind him and crossed his arms in front of him.

"We're sorry about the whole stage thing, and not having a guide, the radio people never told…" Freddie started to quickly explain but was cut off by Sam.

"If you're planning on boiling and eating us for some ritual or anything," she shoved Freddie forward. "Take him first! He's got all these nice fleshy parts and his mom only lets him eat healthy stuff, so I'm sure he's much better for you!"

"Sam!" Freddie whisper-yelled at her as he hid back behind her.

The voice in the chair started to chuckle, "I see what you mean, Franklin." Franklin nodded and chuckled.

"Sam, if we die, I'm going to kill you!" Freddie said in a terrified whisper.

"Oh, that's really scary dork! How do you plan to kill me when I'm already dead genius!" she snapped back at him.

Both the voice in the chair and tattooed Franklin let out loud hearty laughs.

"I thought you guys were funny on the show," the voice said. "But you're even more funny in person!"

"What," Sam and Freddie both said in unison.

A woman suddenly stood up in front of the chair, blocking out some of the bright light that was hitting them. She had brushes in her hand, and was pulling some sort of tray up with her. The chair finally turned around and revealed a young man with messy black and blond hair. He was wearing purple checkered skinny jeans and an orange shirt with a large white splat across the front that said "Juvenile Icon Annihilation". It was Doug Westhill, the lead singer for the Toxic Soxx.

"Franklin is our Stage Manager," the singer said pointing to the tattooed man. "He started yapping about iCarly when we first started the tour." They looked over at Tattoo Franklin to see his face break out in a childlike grin. "He got us all hooked. We're all big fans of yours."

Freddie and Sam beamed at each other. "You guys watch the show?"

"I love it when you do Messin' With Lewbert," Franklin said excitedly, "and that little Gibby dude is a riot!"

"So what are you guys doing backstage anyway?" Doug asked.

"We won some radio contest with backstage passes," Freddie explained.

"You guys should be on the show sometime," Sam suggested.

"That would be so cool," Doug said excitedly. "But we're touring all the time. We leave tomorrow for Toronto…and there's the whole record label clearance thing."

"Well, if someone has a video camera I can borrow, I have an idea, " Freddie thought quickly.

They quickly scrambled to find him a video camera while the rest of the band gathered in the make-up room.

"So what's your idea, Freddison?" Sam asked curiously.

"Inanimate interviews," he smiled as he pulled over a small coffee table next to the couch. "Everyone take off your shoes!" Sam did a short interview with the bands toxic socks, discussing The Toxic Soxx.

"Hey, we gotta finish getting ready, but why don't you guys hang backstage." Doug suggested.

Sam and Freddie watched the whole thing from the wing. The energy coming from the stage was unlike anything they'd ever experienced. They were dancing and singing and screaming the entire concert. They didn't think their elation could get any higher, but then about an hour into the concert Doug gave them a wink and walked to the front of the stage.

"How you all doin out there?" he asked the crowd. "We have a some new friends we met today. Turns out that they're a couple of local celebrities here in Seattle, and all of us on the tour are huge fans." There were a few yells from the crowd at the mention of their hometown. "They do a web show called iCarly."

James Savent, the bass player let out a long yell into the microphone, and there were quite a few cheers following from the audience too. Sam and Freddie smiled and looked at each other. Numbers were one thing, but the actual voices of followers, was something they couldn't quite believe. "I want you all to meet Sam, one of the hosts of iCarly, and Freddie, their technical producer, come out here guys," he called to them.

Sam and Freddie slowly emerged from behind the stage curtain. The empty seats they saw earlier were now a blur of faces staring back at them. The crowd cheered so loud for them that it left their ears ringing a bit, and their faces were starting to hurt from the smiles that were stretched across them.

"These guys do something on their show, that I've always wanted to try," Doug explained putting his arm around Sam. "And this girl right here is the greatest at it!" Someone from the crowd yelled out, "Random Dancing!" Sam and Freddie looked at each other in surprise. "Hey, you guys have some fans out there," he nudged them. "That's right, I've always wanted to do Random Dancing, so we want to try it here tonight, if that's alright with you?" Freddie and Sam nodded their heads eagerly.

"Alright!" he cheered as he nodded to Charlie Haynes, the guitar player. Charlie started softly picking out a few notes while Doug went up to the front to finish explaining to the audience. "We're going to pick it up here with a song you guys all know and love, 'Kiss You Off'." The crowd yelled and he had to wait for it to die down before he could finish. "When you hear Oscar call…"

Oscar Zuniga, the drummer, stuck his mouth up the microphone and called, "Random Dancing." The crowd cheered, as the echo continued around the Amphitheater. Sam and Freddie were jumping up and down with them.

"When you hear that," Doug continued. "I want you to just let it all go. Wanna show em Sam?" Charlie played a little riff on the guitar while Sam flopped about unceremoniously on stage. "Raw inhibition," Doug laughed. "That's what I want from you guys!" He turned to the band, "Hit it Oscar!"

Oscar played a couple of down beats and the rest of the band joined in. The crowd let out a deafening scream as their most familiar hit began blaring through the Amphitheater. Sam and Freddie both started jumping and dancing around on the stage. Finally Doug stepped up to the microphone and the crowd went wild as he started singing:

**  
"You said you would come by that afternoon  
That we'd have a bonfire under the summer moon  
But you were just lying and you were already cheatin'  
And now this time you get a verbal beatin'"  
**  
"Random Dancing" echoed throughout the Amphitheater and a haphazard flailing of limbs could be seen both in the crowd and on stage.

**"I'm gonna kiss you out of my life  
I'm cutting you out with a cold-blooded ****knife  
You can go back to that boy toy of yours  
Cause now we're enemies in the same war**

**You don't deserve anyone with your attitude  
You can't even show any gratitude  
Your little white lies and your stupid blue eyes  
I'm not falling for it, You ain't no damn prize"**

A camera started spinning around the audience catching different couples and getting them to kiss on the big screen, as they sang in a whispered voice,

"**You're getting kissed off, oh you're getting kissed off."**

Doug backed off and let Charlie step forward for his short guitar solo. The crowd cheered and then Doug stepped up to start the second verse:  
**  
"You're here begging me to get back together  
But you created this black cloud in this crappy weather  
You're a prissy little princess, wanting the world on a platter  
But guess what baby, your little plans don't even matter  
**

Again, Oscar called out, "Random Dancing," and the crowd erupted in a mass erratic thrashing, and Doug held the mic out for the crowd to sing along.  
**  
"I'm gonna kiss you out of my life  
I'm cutting you out with a cold-blooded knife  
You can go back to that boy toy of yours  
Cause now we're enemies in the same war**

**You don't deserve anyone with your attitude  
You can't even show any gratitude  
Your little white lies and your stupid blue eyes  
I'm not falling for it, You ain't no damn prize"**

A camera started spinning around again. This time it caught Sam in it's view. She saw herself on the big screen and impulsively grabbed Freddie's face and claimed his lips in a sudden fervent kiss.

**  
"You're getting kissed off, oh you're getting kissed off," played around them, as Freddie shock began to abate, and he put his hands on her waist.  
**

"**Oh, keep begging, oh keep begging  
But what you want is never gonna happen"**

She swiftly pushed herself away from him as shock began to show in her eyes. Freddie looked at her with confusion, but she started backing away from him toward the front of the stage.

**"Oh keep begging, oh keep begging  
But what you want is never gonna happen"**

She looked out at the crowd near the stage and then back to Freddie. Without warning, she turned and ran full force to the edge of the stage, then leapt into the crowd below.

"Sam!" Freddie yelled, but was drowned out by the music and the crowd that was now cheering for her.

"**Oh, keep begging, oh keep begging  
But what you want is never gonna happen"**

Freddie's worry turned to relief as he saw her reclined form being lifted above the heads of the crowd below, like she was floating on waves in the ocean. As he stood there watching, the crowd started chanting his name. "Freddie, Freddie, Freddie!"

"**Oh, keep begging, oh keep begging  
But what you want is never gonna happen"**

As much as the thought of jumping into the crowd scared him, he really wanted to get to Sam after what had just happened. He turned to run once, but hesitated. Then he ran full force and jumped into the waiting crowd, just as the chorus picked up.

**"I'm gonna kiss you out of my life  
I'm cutting you out with a cold-blooded knife  
You can go back to that boy toy of yours  
Cause now we're enemies in the same war"**

Freddie was being jostled through the crowd, and for a moment, he lost sight of Sam. When he finally found her again, she had her head back and her eyes closed, like what she was experiencing was pure ecstasy. He smiled as he watched and then he was jostled another direction and lost sight of her again. He too closed his eyes and let the music and the hands against him carry him wherever they were going to.

**"You don't deserve anyone with your attitude  
You can't even show any gratitude  
Your little white lies and your stupid blue eyes  
I'm not falling for it, You ain't no damn prize**

**You're getting kissed off, oh you're getting kissed off"**

Freddie opened his eyes and smiled when he heard the crowd cheer, signaling the end of the song. He usually liked being in control, but he had to admit, that letting the wave just happen was an amazing experience. He looked around and saw no sign of crowd began to settle a little when the first strains of, 'When You Want To Be' began to play.

**"I wish I could tell you,  
You're beautiful to me,  
A princess with high-top  
Sneakers on your feet,  
**

**I wonder if I told you,  
Would you believe me?  
It's just all that you are,  
And all we could be"**

The words echoed loudly through Freddie's head. He never thought he'd ever be wanting to find Sam as much as now. That kiss was totally unexpected, but it felt like that's the way it should have been all along.

**  
"I'm mulling this all over  
I'm thinking this all out  
And I just can't get  
What you're about**

**The look in your eyes  
The words that you say  
The things you do  
To get through the day"**

He knew he liked Sam, but he had been in denial about just how much. He wasn't supposed to like someone like her. She was obnoxious, and selfish, and lazy. She lived to torture him, and he was someone with goals and plans; plans that she didn't fit into. She bore into his head though, and she was just too damned unforgettable.

**"I just don't get it**

**You're confusing to me  
You're rough on the outside  
But sweet when you wanna be  
**

**I think that I love you  
But I'm not sure this time**

**You may think I hate you  
But that may be a lie"**

Sure she's trouble, and she get under his skin, but that's the thing that he likes most about her. Especially when he can meet her challenges. Was this another one of those challenges? He shouldn't like her. She's even said 'I hate you', but he knew she didn't mean it. He didn't mean it. He didn't mind being her pony, or her object of torture, because when she touched him, the electricity and the energy coming from her, made him feel alive. He had to find her!

**  
We're running in circles, And you still can't see me **

He pushed his way through the crowd. He knew she was carried off in the other direction, he just had to find where she ended up. He wove his way in and out of bodies. He always thought her hair was distinctive, but he never knew just how many blond girls there were in Seattle. He had stopped three girls only to find out that they weren't her.

**I'm mulling this all over  
I'm thinking this all out  
And I just can't get  
What you're about**

He ended up next to the far wall, and no sign of Sam. He tried calling her name, but the music was too loud and he could barely hear his own voice. He pulled out his phone to see if maybe he could call or text her, but before he could even pull up her name, a soft hand covered his on the phone. Before he could even look up her voice was yelling in his ear.

**The look in your eyes  
The words that you say  
The things you do  
To get through the day"**

What?" he said turned to look at her.

There he was in front of him. Her blond hair was glowing in the soft stage lighting, The blue in her shirt made her eyes appear like deep pools, and the way she was smiling at him could convince him to do just about anything.

**

* * *

**

Finally, Freddie! So, first off, I need to give huge shout outs to Sunset Clouds for doing the awesome lyrics for Kiss You Off, (This was supposed to have a high energy feel like don't trust me by 3oh3), and to lovinjerryt and ficlet fairy for coming up with the song When You Want To Be. These are both original songs created for this, folks. I think they did an awesome job! Definitely not something I'm talented at, so a huge thanks to these three.

**There's a few more fyi's for you: Franklin is the name of my imaginary friend I made up, so I could get rid of this skeevy guy who wouldn't leave the other day. The black tarantula tattoo on Franklin's face is in memoriam of the one I beat to death while camping last week. I swear, I was only trying to swat him away, but he was too stubborn for his own good, RIP Inky! The shirt that Doug is wearing is my little comment on the whole Nickelodeon logo thing. (Boo!)**

**No more interactive questions because the next one is the last chapter! Wow, I'm kind of sad again. It's a nice little wrap up. I just have a couple editing things to do, and I'll have it up for you soon…no really, I promise! This was a little bit of a different chapter. Be sure to let me know what you thought. I'm such a review tramp!**


	12. Into the Sunset

**Whew, I was beginning to think the whole website didn't want this story to end. I'm posting while I can!**

**Well the last chapter was a little different, huh? Did I tell you that Sunset Clouds wrote the lyrics for Kiss You Off in 30 minutes?! I envy that talent. So, it looks like our little Freddie finally had a breakthrough. Everyone all together now…AWWWW! Now if only we could get Sam on the same page (rubs hands together maniacally). **

**So here it is…the last chapter. (Imagine if you would me putting on white gloves and opening a shining golden box with an angelic chorus playing in the background.) This will be a nice little wrap up chapter, in case you thought I forgot about anything. Sorry about the spacing on the lyrics, apparently it doesn't transver well. Now, please proceed.**

**But first!**

**Disclaimer: Despite all my plotting and covert operation missions, I still do not own iCarly. I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you meddling kids! (oops wrong fandom- Ruh Roh!). Perhaps Cupcake Slam and I can put our heads together and come up with an even better mission for the next story. Mwaahaaahaaahaaa!**

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"I said let's get out of here," Sam shouted above the music.

"You sure?" Freddie looked at her quizzically. "It's not over yet."

"I know, but I saw the set list backstage," she said grabbing his hand and dragging him through the crowd. "There's only two more songs, and I hate the slow crowds leaving here."

Freddie allowed her to pull him as they snaked their way through the crowd and to the nearest exit. When they got to the tunnel where the music wasn't blaring as loudly, she turned to give him a sly smile. "There's one more ride I want to go on before it closes. Besides, we need to see if we can call Spencer or someone to pick us up. I think our bus stopped running for the night."

The pair took off running toward the rides. Freddie still wasn't quite sure where they were headed, but was surprised when they stopped by the lake in front of the large, brightly lit carnival classic. "Really? The Ferris Wheel?" Freddie asked mildly amused.

"Why not, the Ferris Wheel?" Sam scowled.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Seems kind of cliché, doesn't it?"

"Nope!" Sam ran across to a vendor and came back with a cone of pale pink cotton candy. "This is cliché!" She tore off the wrapper and took her first bite, just as they were climbing into their gondola. Freddie shook his head as he watched her.

"I'm not sharing," she said as she shoved in another mouthful. Sam finally got annoyed at being under his unflinching gaze. "What Fredward?"

"Nothing," he smiled. "I just didn't figure you for the Ferris Wheel type."

"Goes to show, you don't know everything!" She stuck out her bright pink tongue at him. She twisted a piece of the candyfloss around her finger and popped it into her mouth. "Back when my mom used to care every now and then, she'd bring us to the fair. The Ferris Wheel was always her favorite ride," Sam smiled. "She'd giggle like a three year old every time it went over the top and headed back down again." The look of surprise registered on Freddie's face. "What," she smirked. "I can't be sentimental?"

"I wasn't sure you could," Freddie returned the smirk.

The riders had completely loaded and the wheel started turning at a regular pace. After a couple of turns, Freddie's mind returned to the concert. "Sam," he tried tentatively. "At the concert, when you…attacked my face," he said a little hesitantly. "Was that…?"

"Nothing," she said flatly.

"Nothing?" he asked a little hurt.

"No big deal," she said plainly. "I was caught up in the music, the camera stopped on us, and you were the closest person around that wasn't creepy," she shrugged. "So tag, you were it!" Sam ate her cotton candy, and they rode a few more turns in awkward silence before Sam smiled and asked. "Who would have thought today would have turned out like it did?"

Freddie's eyes widened a little in surprise. "Janis did!"

"Who?"

"The fortune teller," he smiled. "You know how I was the last to leave her tent? She said to have a good time with _you_ at the concert. I told her she was wrong, and that I was Alana's date. She just said, that the rest of the date should be very interesting!" He chuckled, "As far as I was concerned, once I wasn't your pony anymore, I was Alana's date."

"Spooky," Sam frowned. They completed another turn in silence. "So Alfreddo, about being the pony," she said taking a bite of her cotton candy. "You don't have to carry me anymore," she said simply.

"What? You're letting me off the bet?" he turned to her in shock.

"Eh. It was fun for a little while, but the novelty wore off," she shrugged. "I may use you every now and then for the next month or so, whenever I feel lazy, but all the time is sort of lame now."

"Wow, Sam," he smiled. "That is almost unselfish of you!"

"Yeah, well don't get used to it. It probably won't happen again." Sam nudged him. "So Sparky, speaking of bets, what was it that you were never going to win?"

"Oh," Freddie said quietly. "It's not important now, I guess."

Sam saw the blush rise up in Freddie's cheeks. "It was too important. I see all over your face," she smiled. "So what was it, Benson?" She teasingly poked him in the side.

"Stop!" He squirmed trying to keep her from tickling him.

"Tell me, and I might," she continued her assault more aggressively.

"Alright!" Freddie was pinned against the side of the seat and trying to hold her hand back. "Okay!" Sam sat back and took another bite of her cotton candy as Freddie started to explain. "You're very good at insulting me..."

"The best," she said unapologetically. "So what? You bet I couldn't go without insulting you for a week, is that it," she rolled her eyes. "Didn't we do that one already, Benson?"

"Yeah," he scowled. "That wasn't quite it, though. I figured to really torture you, you would have to publicly compliment me once an hour, on the hour."

"You don't think I could do that?" She chuckled.

"Not without breaking out in a rash," he smirked.

"Oh, Fredward," she shook her head. "You always underestimate me. Check it!" she yelled, as she started to freeform rap.

**"_The first thing you need to know about Fredward Benson,_**

_**Is don't be scared off by his sexual tension.**_

_**He may not be tall and the boy's far from being cut, **_

_**But keep your hands to yourself and try not to grab his butt."**_

Freddie buried his head as some of the crowd started clapping to her rap.

**"_As much as I try to deny it, I admit he's got a great smile,_**

_**That crooked little cocky crap is sure to drive you wild**_

_**And he's got really cute dimples that I wish I hadn't seen,**_

_**Because they ain't the ones on his face...if you know what I mean"**_

Sam scooted away as Freddie tried to cover her mouth. She continued to the sounds of "Ooh," coming from their fellow passenger.

**"_He's a blue light special that Ladies don't want to miss, _**

_**Even without lot of practice, I hear he really knows how to kiss. **_

_**So that's all dandy if you're in to almost virgin lips. **_

_**Plus the dork's like Shakira, he can talk with his hips!**_

_**He likes to play bad boy when he walks and he talks  
He once slept in his socks, and oh yeah only his sock!"**_

"Sam!" He tried to interrupt, but she was still going.

**"**_**Fredhead's got this huge vein in his neck that won't go away  
But seriously I lap smoothie off it any flippin day."**_

He turned to look at her a bit shocked. _Huh, she liked it too?_

**"**_**The nub perseveres and never ever gives up hope  
Though Carly's view on him is still a great big NOPE  
But he's persistent and tenacious in other ways as well  
Some of which I find to be as funny as hell**_

_**He's the biggest dork ever, but call him out, he won't care**_

_**Cause just last week, he got his very first chest hair!"**_

She swatted away his hand as he again reached to shut her up.

_  
__**"And speaking of his hair, it's fluffier than the power of a thousand clouds  
And he wears antibacterial panties to make his mama proud?"**_

"Sam, you can stop now," he tried to interrupt.

**"**_**His mama gives him tick baths so he's really never stinky  
And if we're on the same page that sounds a little kinky  
Cause Mama Benson's crazy and gets a little spastic  
But he always smells a little minty, and to me it's just Dorktastic!" **_

"Sam, shut it!" He pulled her.

**"**_**So if you want to know more just step up and make an appointment  
I can tell you all about his rash and his candy scented ointment**_

_**He gets a little crazy with that ointment for his rash  
Watch him whip off his pants and rub it all over his…"**_

She couldn't finish the line. Her lips were suddenly being smothered by Freddie's. She tried to pull away at first, but he aggressively knotted his fingers through the hair on the back of her neck, and she sighed as she melted into his kiss. Freddie finally backed away, a little surprised at his own assertiveness.

A sly smile curled at the corners of Sam's red mouth. She threw her cotton candy aside, grabbed his collar and pulled him close. She brushed her lips softly against his then said,

**"**_**So next time, Benson, you think you can really win a bet  
Bring a change of undies, cuz I think your panties are wet."**_

She crushed her lips into his again. The heat and electricity between them seemed to be exploding out of them. They tore apart, when they heard loud booms going off. They looked up in time to see fireworks going off in the sky right above them.

"Wow," Sam rolled her eyes. "How's this for cliché?"

"Perfect," Freddie chuckled and he reached over to take her lips again. The fireworks reflected off of the lake below, but they stayed lost in each other's kiss, the entire time the ride was spinning. The ride started to slow down, but not the euphoria they were feeling. They were at the far side, so they had a few minutes while they let the other riders off.

Freddie gave a sad smile. "So here we are again."

"No," Sam said looking toward the ground, "they still have about twelve more gondolas to let off first."

"I was talking about us," Freddie frowned. "Is this another one of those, 'caught up in the moment, and it's 'nothing personal' things?" he said putting up air quotes.

"Isn't that for the best? I'm not exactly good for you, Fredward!" Sam sighed.

"How do you know that?" he said as he turned to her. "I mean, we keep ending up in this same place, and it ends in the same way. As much as I want to forget it, I can't," he said running his hand through his hair. "Truth is, Sam, I don't want to forget it."

"Me neither," she smiled slightly. "But where do we go from here?" she asked looking down at his hands. "I mean, boyfriend and girlfriend, that's so…"

"Cliché," he said with her. "I know."

They sat in silence as another gondola was let off below them. There were only eight more before the end of the ride.

"Remember what Janis said earlier, about that couple…the soul mates?" Sam nodded her head. "I assumed she was talking about Gabe and Alana, but what if she wasn't?" He took her hand and scooted closer. "What if she was talking about us?" Sam tightened her fingers around his. "I don't want to be that guy who left behind the one he was supposed to be with, because he was too scared to say it."

"Are you scared?" she asked quietly.

A slow smile spread across his lips as he thought about it. "No." His heart leapt when she smiled back. "I'm only afraid of not being enough for you." He sat back and waited for her response.

She let go of his hand, and leaned over and examined her shoes for a moment. "We're getting closer," she said as they moved down one more space. "You better call Spencer."

Freddie sadly pulled out his cell phone. Sam kept her eyes on the gondola below them as she listened for Freddie to arrange Spencer to meet them in 20 minutes.

As Freddie hung up with Spencer, it was their turn to be let off the ride. They both exited silently. Sam walked a little ahead, and Freddie followed behind with his hands in his pockets. They still had a few minutes, so she stopped at one of those little ring toss games and handed the guy a dollar. Freddie stood silently against the post and watched her gracefully loop 3 rings around the edges of the bottles. The guy behind the counter smiled as he gave her a large goldfish in a plastic bag. She examined the fish as she walked to the grass, and waited for Freddie to catch up.

"Some people say I'm kind of intense," she said not taking her eyes off the fish.

Freddie smiled next to her. "I'm aware of that."

"Yeah well, some guys find that a little intimidating. They tend not to stick around," she handed him the fish and quickly looked away. "I've done a lot of horrible stuff to you, Benson, and no matter what I've done to push you away, you're still here. It's kind of annoying, actually." Freddie smiled. "I think you've more than proven yourself…not that you ever had to." She glanced sideways at him, trying to gage his reaction. He silently listened, realizing it was her time to talk.

"I think I'd miss it if you weren't a part of my life, Benson." she rushed the words. "As long as we don't have to decide our future tonight, I'm willing to give it a try…being with you." She stopped and turned around to face him. "I mean, I'm willing if you are."

Freddie gave her a broad smile. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then whispered, "get on." He watched confusion spread over her face. "On my back, I'll give you a ride to Spencer's car."

"I told you, you don't have to do that," She frowned.

"I know," he smiled. "This time I want to."

She returned his smile and hopped onto his back. She grabbed hold tight and saw the vein his neck. and whispered in his ear, "Take me home, Sparky! And maybe we can get a smoothie along the way."

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The elevator dinged in apartment 8C and Freddie walked out carrying a very sleepy Sam on piggyback. "Hey Carly, we're back," he said softly.

Carly went to meet him and helped put her on the Sofa. "Where's Spencer?"

"Parking the car," Freddie said setting her down gently.

"Oh," Carly smiled excitedly. "So, how'd it go?

"It was a very interesting night," he smiled to himself. "I want to tell you all about it, but not until Sam's awake."

"That's ok," Carly smiled. "Hey, you guys have a…"

Spencer came bounding through the front door, carrying a little puffed up plastic bag. "Carly, look what Sam won for me at the fair!"

"Shh," Carly said pointing to the sleeping Sam on the couch.

"Oh," he said in a silent exaggerated expression. "Look what Sam won for me," Spencer whispered loudly pointing to the fish in the bag. "This is Fernando!" He went into the kitchen and grabbed a fish bowl from under the sink and started settling Fernando into his new home.

"Cute," she said. "I was just telling Freddie that they have a ..." The toilet flushed from the downstairs bathroom. "…visitor."

A small strawberry-blond haired girl softly walked around the corner. "Heather?" Freddie said curiously.

Spencer's head quickly popped up to look at the small girl in the living room. "Welcome to our home, Heather!" He bounced over to her and scooped her up into a giant hug.

"Uh wow," Heather flinched, a little scared of Spencer. "Um, Thanks…sir?"

"Spencer, put her down!" Carly yelled at her exuberant brother.

"Oh, sorry," Spencer said as he carefully put her down. "It's just that we have company!" He pat her gently on the head as he moved behind her to let her talk to Freddie and Carly.

"So, Heather," Freddie nodded. "Your rash cleared up pretty quickly."

"Yeah," Heather said sheepishly. "Sorry I lied to you about that, it's just that it wouldn't have worked if I was there."

Freddie watched Spencer, who was looking over Heather's shoulders trying to get a good look at her ears. "Um, what wouldn't have worked?"

Freddie tried to keep a straight face as Spencer was making little pinching motions next to her tiny elfish ears. Heather looked behind her to see what had Freddie's attention, but Spencer quickly began readjusting the caps on the Bottle Bot, behind him.

"Spencer!" Carly scolded loudly. She went over and dragged his arm and pulled him the stairs. "If you can't keep your hands to yourself, then I'm taking you to the studio until our guest goes home!"

"But her ears are so cute!" he said trying to break Carly's grasp. "I just want to play with them!" he whined as he pulled him behind her. "Pixie!" he called excitedly. "I want to sculpt your ears!"

"No," Carly yelled. "Stop scaring away the company!"

Heather jumped and held her ears as they heard the door slam upstairs. The noise even woke Sam up. "Hey," Sam yelled. "Keep it down up there, grumpy co-host sleeping!"

"Sam, get up," Freddie tapped her leg. "We have company."

"At this hour?" she asked wiping her eyes and sitting up on the sofa.

They both looked at Heather, who still had her attention upstairs. "Heather!" Freddie called.

"Oh, Sorry I was…" she looked back upstairs. "Is that man alright?"

Freddie chuckled, "That's Carly's brother Spencer. He's fine; he just gets a little excited sometimes. You get used to him."

"Hey, what happened to your rash?" Sam asked suddenly realizing she didn't have a spot on her.

"Yeah," Freddie continued. "You still haven't told us what you're doing here so late."

"Oh," Heather blushed. "I'm sorry about the time, but I'm leaving early in the morning, and I wanted to make sure I apologized."

"Apologize for what?" Sam stood up next to her.

"Um," Heather backed away a bit. "I have a little confession to make. When I found out about your bet, I thought, maybe it was a way to help with a problem I was having too."

Freddie looked at her curiously. "You had a problem we could help you with?"

Heather let out a heavy sigh and sat down on the chair. Freddie and Sam took a seat next to each other on the couch. "You know that Alana is my cousin, and Gabe is my good friend from Art class," she started to ramble. "They're both really in love with each other, but they had that stupid misunderstanding, and neither one of them wanted to admit they were wrong, and they kept putting me in the middle, and I couldn't stand it anymore, so I figured if I could at least get them together in the same room for a little while, the truth would eventually come out, and they'd realize how wrong they both were, and how much they still need to be together, and I'm so sorry I had to get you involved, but it was the first opportunity I saw, and I didn't know how otherwise." Heather stopped to take a breath and saw the confusion deepen on their faces. "Oh, wow," she sighed, as her face turned even more crimson.

"Sorry, about him Heather. He won't bother you, anymore." Carly asked as she came down the steps. "So what did I miss?" She asked looking around at their faces.

"I'm not quite sure," Freddie answered slowly. "She was going on about Gabe and Alana and getting us involved, and …"

"The girl's spewing off nonsense so fast, no one can understand her," Sam said annoyed. "I think she needs to have some sense knocked back into her." Sam lunged toward Heather. Freddie grabbed Sam around the waist and pulled her back down, while Carly jumped between Sam and Heather. Sam looked at Heather who was now hiding behind Carly. "What? I wasn't going to hurt her!" She looked at Freddie who was still holding her and pulled his arm away from her. "…much."

Heather hiccupped in fear as Carly tried to reassure her. "She won't hurt you, I promise." She went to get a cup of water for Heather and sat down on the table across from her. "Why don't you start over again," Carly soothed. "You told me earlier you came to apologize. Apologize for what?"

"I…I'm the reason that you guys ended up on dates tonight with Gabe and Alana." She said it quick like ripping off a Band-aid, and she winced, while waiting for their reaction.

"Uh, No," Sam laughed. "I went on a date with Gabe, because of the grade on my test."

"And it was Sam's idea for me to go with you," Freddie pointed out. "I only ended up with Alana when you cancelled."

"I guess I should start at the beginning." Heather sighed. "I have European Lit with Wendy, and Monday I forgot my book. She let me share with her in class and I found your notes. She told me about the bet, not thinking anything of it. I mean, I don't usually talk to anyone, so I guess she figured she could trust me with the information." She watched the others nod their heads, signaling they were following so far.

"Normally, I would have just let it go, but it got me thinking." She turned to look at Sam. "Remember the note you found in your locker that told you to talk to Gabe?"

"Yeah," Sam eyed her suspiciously.

"I put that note in your locker," she said nervously. "Gabe doesn't like to brag, but he's a super math whiz…and as you discovered, he needed your help too" she smiled.

"Why would you do that?" Sam grumbled. "Why would you even care about a bet between me and Fredwierd?"

Heather rubbed her eyes, trying to keep her courage. "I talked Gabe into taking you on that date. You're so lively, and I knew Gabe would be into you." She hesitated before continuing. "I needed you to make Alana jealous."

Sam laughed bitterly, "You thought I'd make Alana Michaels jealous?"

Heather gave her a gentle smile. "Alana is very…alluring. It takes more than just being pretty to beat her. You, however, have this spontaneous and uninhibited nature that Alana can't match." She watched as Sam perked up a bit. "You're very intriguing, Sam, and what makes you more fascinating…you don't even know it."

"Did you hear that?" Sam smiled as she backhanded Freddie in the stomach. "I'm intriguing!"

"Tornados usually are," he mumbled under his breath. Sam jumped on top of Freddie, knocking him into the ground and immediately folded him into a pretzel hold.

"Would you two stop!" Carly yelled at them.

"Not until he says …what was it you called me?" she asked turning to Heather.

Carly grabbed Sam by the hair and yanked her back toward the couch. "I've told you a hundred times, Sam. He can't say anything if his face is turning blue!"

"Ugh, Fine!" Sam grumbled. Freddie laid gasping on the floor and stretching out his limbs again.

"So how did Freddie fit into this?" Carly urged Heather to continue.

"Well, I figured out that Alana couldn't be jealous if she didn't see them together," she said as she watched Freddie get up and take a seat next to Sam again. "Alana watches the web show, and thinks Freddie is adorable." She saw Freddie wince, "Sorry her words, not mine."

Sam reached over and pinched his cheek. "Aww, Awana, finks widdew Fweddikins is a-_dow_-a-bow!"

Heather laughed at Freddie's grimace. "Anyway, I figured maybe a double date would work." She looked at Sam carefully. "I also figured the only way it would work is if it were Sam's idea, and maybe she'd go for someone like me." Sam just shrugged. "Then I just had to switch myself for Alana," she continued relieved that Sam was ok with it.

Sam and Freddie both shook their heads in confusion. Carly smiled; amused that Heather had managed to pull it off. "So how did you know it would work?"

"I didn't really, and there were a few times it could have bombed." She looked at Freddie. "When Freddie didn't show up for French class on Thursday, I figured he wouldn't know the assignment. I did it for him and put it in his locker the next day to make sure he'd be available for the date. Then it was a matter of putting myself in the right path at the right time and planting the right suggestion."

"You set that whole thing up?" Sam asked shocked.

"You're in my French Class?" Freddie asked confused.

She nodded at both of them. "Being small has its advantages," Heather smiled to Carly. "People tend to overlook you when you're standing right next to you."

"Well, trust us," she turned around and smiled at Sam and Freddie. "We won't be ignoring _you _again anytime soon."

"Ok, I get the whole needing to get Gabe and Alana back together." Freddie pointed between him and Sam. "But why us?"

"Because you guys have so much fun together, and you know how to get under each other's skin. I mean, there's so much passion between you, that it's almost sick that you don't see it!" Heather smiled and shrugged. "You guys are so much like Alana and Gabe that I figured if they could see themselves in you it could get them together. Maybe it would work for you too?"

"Wow, do you have that one wrong." Carly started laughing hysterically. "These two hate each other , they would rather kill each other than kiss each other, and why am I the only one laughing?" Carly turned around to see Sam and Freddie glancing at each other with guilty looks on their faces. "You guys…kissed tonight?" Carly asked in shock.

"Oh, just once at the concert." Sam said biting her lip.

"And once on the Ferris Wheel," Freddie said rubbing his neck.

"Twice on the Ferris Wheel," Sam smirked and quickly corrected.

"Oh yeah," Freddie raised his eyebrow at her and gave her a sly smile.

"But…" Carly watched her friends making eyes at each other. She turned around and looked at Heather, who was wearing an amused smile. "But…"

The doorbell rang behind them, "Um. That would be my boyfriend coming to pick me up," Heather said grabbing her purse.

"I'll get it!" Spencer ran down the stairs and picked up Carly who was already halfway to the door. He spun her around and dropped her facing the wrong direction.

Spencer opened the door to reveal a slim blond teenage boy, with piercing blue eyes, and a strong jaw. "Hello, I am looking for Heather," he said in a strong Russian accent.

"I'm here Yuri," Heather smiled. Spencer stepped aside and let the boy pass.

"That boy definitely does not go to our school," Carly smiled as she watched him walk up to Heather and gave her a sweet kiss.

"No," Heather smiled as she took his hand. "Yuri is a performer with the Russian Circus. I'm going with them to Tacoma in the morning for a special charity performance."

"Cool!" Spencer jumped. "What do you do?"

"I am an acrobat, contortionist, and aerialist," Yuri smiled.

"Really?" Spencer's eyes widened. "Can you fold yourself into, say a clear glass cube?" He smiled eagerly, "Cause I have one in my room!"

"Spencer, leave the poor boy alone," Carly chuckled at her overly excited brother. "So how did you two meet?"

"Yuri's mother and sister are also aerial artists. I started taking lessons from them in Silks and Bungee about a year ago," Heather blushed.

"She is quite good!" Yuri smiled and put his arm around her. "She will be performing for Circus first time tomorrow. You all coming?"

"Please Carly?" Spencer begged his sister. Carly just giggled and nodded her head. "Yes!"

"That's great! I'm so nervous, it'll be nice to have the support. We'll have tickets waiting for you at Will Call tomorrow," Heather laughed. "Sorry again, that I tricked you two," she said to Sam and Freddie. "I guess everything worked out the way it was supposed to," she smiled. "Goodnight, everyone."

Spencer opened the door to let them out. He smiled excitedly at her, like he was trying to hold something back. Heather looked at him and winced. "Oh, I'm probably going to regret this…" She smiled up at Spencer and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Ah," Spencer gasped in a high squeaky voice, and reached out and delicately pulled them. "These are the most perfect ears I have ever seen in my life!" He finally regained his composure and put his hands on the girl's shoulders. "Thank you!" He opened the door and Heather giggled as she and Yuri waved by and walked out.

Carly waited for the door to close behind them, then rounded on her friends. "You two!"

"Yeah, I know," Sam grumbled. "But do you mind if we tell you tomorrow? It's been a long day, and I'm pooped!"

"Yeah, me too," Freddie said standing up. "I promise I'll come over for breakfast tomorrow and we'll tell you all about it." He grabbed Sam's hand and pulled her up with him.

"I'm gonna go walk Freddie home," Sam said as she followed him out the door.

"Wow, all the way across the hall," Carly said sarcastically.

The door didn't quite close behind them, and Carly sighed as she and Spencer watched Freddie pull Sam close and placed a tender kiss to her lips.

"Is Freddie kissing Sam?" Spencer asked in mild shock.

"Yep."

"And she's not trying to murder him?"

"Nope."

They watched Freddie finally unlock his door and give her one last peck before he stepped inside.

"How the heck did that happen?" Spencer asked scratching his head.

"I'm not sure," Carly smiled as Sam walked back in smiling, with a slight pink tint on her cheeks. "All I know, is that Monday, Freddie bet Sam that she couldn't get a B on her math test, and today..."

"Night Carls!" Sam sighed as she lay back on the couch and pulled the covers over her.

THE END

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Here we are at the end! I always get a little sad at this part. Silverphoenix, I hope you're happy with this chapter. I couldn't leave without visiting Spencer one last time. Silver Clouds Lullaby, I told you I had plans for Heather.

**Another HUGE thanks goes to the inimitable and always entertaining Basco57 for Sam's little freestyle rap thing happening here. Thank you also to mizkntuhke, for submitting the final interactive question about Yuri's job. I had some really good ones, but this one made me laugh. I always wanted to run away and join the circus…no really! Finally thanks to laura, Absolutely M, and Silvercloudlullaby, for suggesting the ferris wheel at a carnival. It had to be done! Oh, and for those of you like CrazyKK who thought Gabe should have blond hair, I created Yuri for you. There's even an inspiration posted on my profile. Thanks to all of you who contributed to the interactive questions. I swear I never disregarded a single one. Even if I didn't choose yours, you guys all got my creative juices flowing. The ones I chose just fit better in the story.**

**I need to give one more shout out to the Legion of Lunatics, who are all very talented in their own rights. Go check them out: Absolutely M, Angels. 02. Music, The Archduke, Awkward Squirrel, Basco 57, Coffee Noodle, Cupcake Slam, Drown-in-Sequins, HarrissBoBarriss, Hypo'Lana, Invader Johnny, Panda Hallows, Silver Clouds Lullaby, Supahyperfreakyspaz, and Whosconfused.**

**So this it's the end of this story, but I've got a few other ideas floating around in this noggin o' mine! I'm really interested in hearing what you think about the ending, so please, please, please (did I say it enough, cause I'll say it more if you need me to) give it a review. Do it for the children…**


	13. Important: Shameless Plug Inside!

**So I bet you thought you'd heard the last of this story, huh? Well good news! I have a fun little announcement about this story, and I thought it would be entertaining coming from our favorite sniping duo. So sit back, enjoy the chapter, and PLEASE respond at the end.**

**Disclaimer: iCarly doesn't belong to me, but apparently it's not being used right now. If it doesn't start back up soon, I think I might steal it and hide it in my basement with my old Barbies and Ninja Turtles...How do you think Spencer would look in Dress up Barbie's evening dress, huh?**

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Freddie was deep in to the calibration of color balance on his 3CCD High Def Camera, when she suddenly came bursting through the studio door. He nearly dropped the expensive equipment when, without warning, Sam grabbed his arm and started dragging him toward the exit.

"Come on, Freggedy, we're going to be late!"

Freddie quickly uprighted his equipment and pulled away from his small but mighty girlfriend. "Wait, Wait! Where are we going?"

She jumped up, pulled out her phone and scrolled past the crazy photo booth photos of them, the last of which was his shocked face while she gave him a huge zerberts on the cheek. "Did you not just text me and say you were taking me out to dinner?"

Freddie loved seeing her excited, even if it was only about food. "Well yeah, but it's not even 4:00 yet."

"Yes, but it's Meet Meat Monday at Big Moe's BBQ," she explained as she went behind and started pushing him to the door. "We've got to get there before all the old Jewish men eat up all the Brisket!"

Freddie chuckled and went back to adjusting his equipment. "Relax Sam, there's no way old people can eat that much, Besides, we won't be late."

"I'm serious Benson! Schnitzler's Senior Center drops a busload there every Monday. Their teeth may be fake, but I've seen them eat enough to take down a whole herd of cows…And those cute little old ladies? Don't let them fool you! They're vicious and jab you with their canes." She demonstrated by grabbing the microphone from the table and jabbing him in the ribs with it.

"Hey! This is sensitive equipment!" He quickly grabbed the microphone from her. "It doesn't matter anyway," he smirked as he went to put the microphone away. "That's not where we're going…and our RESERVATIONS aren't for another 3 hours.

"Reservations?" She suddenly perked up. "Reservations for what?"

Freddie adopted his cocky air as he prepared to break the surprise. "Miso Fly!"

She pulled excitedly at his arm again. "You mean that hip-hop hibachi place where the chefs dance and chop your food right there at the table? I've always wanted to go there!" She started jumping around until she caught sight of her reflection in the studio mirror and frowned. "Dude! I dressed for barbecue."

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, admiring their reflection. "I think you look great…but Carly got all excited and said she'd get something ready for you to wear." Sam gave him small smile. "She told me to tell you to behave, though. The last time Spencer took you guys to a hibachi restaurant, you threw a shrimp at the chef when he was chopping and he sliced of the end of his finger off."

Sam laughed. "Oh yeah! Good thing that guy found it or it really would have been Chicken _Yack_-itori!"

He chuckled and gave her a quick peck against her temple. "This will be fun, but until then…I need you record something before we go." He unwrapped his arms and went to get his camera set up.

"Ugh! I have to work?" She followed him over to the cart to peek over his shoulder at what he was working on. "This is jank! What's so important anyway?"

"The Fanfic author Luna Moody is up for an award and I want _you_ to tell everyone to vote for her."

"Why?"

"Because she did that story about _us_." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "You know…the reason you're now my girlfriend." He reached over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"So this is all her fault?!" Sam teased. Freddie playfully rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her, for which she retuned the gesture.

"Anyway," she dismissed as she jumped up onto the hood of the car. "Why her? It's nothing every other '_Seddie'_ writer hasn't tried to do." She scowled as she put air quotes around the word "seddie." It was no secret that she absolutely hated that title.

"I know," he smiled. "But hers was so much fun!" He pulled out the tripod and was trying to adjust the balance bubble. "Remember the Carnival…And the radio contest?"

"The one with that Boomer Bozzo?" Freddie nodded. "Wait! Is she the one that gave me that Fried Fat Cake?" Sam leaned back against the hood, a small smile forming across her lips.

"Uh, huh. You remember that delicious dish?" He grinned at her.

"Oh Yeah!" she nodded eagerly. "And speaking of delicious dishes…Gabe and his tasty buns." She gave a couple imaginary squeezes into the air.

"Hey!"

"Oh, don't pop your cork!" She sauntered over to him and put her chin on his shoulder. "Your buns are nice too…kind of." She gave his rear a couple good firm squeezes. "They're just more like Marshmallow fluff."

Freddie was shocked by her boldness and quickly jumped away from her hands. "Hey!"

"Aww, I love it when you turn all red and get jealous!" She reached up and pinched his cheek.

"Ugh!" He groaned. "Well don't forget," he said as he pulled her hand away. "She also gave us Alana!" He grabbed his lens cleaning cloth and focused his attention back to the camera.

"Alana had brain damage."

Freddie's head popped up like a prairie dog. "She did not!"

"Well there had to be something wrong with her if she wanted to date you." She swiped his bottle of root beer from the cart and took a big swig.

"Well, I'm good enough for _you_, aren't I?" He watched as she drained the last drops of his freshly opened root beer.

"Nope." She wiped her sleeve across her mouth and slammed the bottle back onto the cart. "I just figure you're my punishment, for all the bad stuff I do…kind of like permanent detention."

"There could never be that much punishment in the world," he chuckled under his breath and went back to the lens.

"Oh, You wanna see Punishment, Benson?"

She launched herself at him knocking him backwards onto the ground. He struggled to gain advantage, but before he knew it, he was curled up on his back. She was sat on top of him with one knee pressing into his ribs and her arm against his chest. He choked a bit as her hair started tickling his face. He managed to get one hand free enough to brush it away from her cheek.

"Hey remember that scary guy at the concert with the spider tattoo?"

"Oh yeah," she shuddered. "Remember when I dove off the stage into the crowd?" She brightened. "Good times!"

The one the advantages of dating Sam, was that their wrestling matches were way more playful and far less ferocious. Sometimes Freddie even got to win. He took advantage of her dreamy reminiscing, and quickly cocked his elbow, knocking out the hand that was bracing her off the floor. He hooked his legs around hers and swept them underneath his. He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her into him, and quickly flipped them both over, finally pinning her into the same position she had just had them in. He leaned closer to her, laying his chest against hers and giving a deep chuckle, which vibrated between them.

From this position he could see deep into her blue eyes. He lightly brushed his lips against hers. "Remember the…"

"…Ferris Wheel?" She continued with him. He chuckled then closed his lips to hers in a tender kiss. Whenever he won, it usually ended like this. He liked winning.

The intensity of the kissing began to pick up a bit. Freddie moved his hand lower, finding the warmth of her skin just at her waist, and pulled her closer to him. Sam broke the kiss and pulled her head to the side to gasp. He began planting small kisses along her jaw line, and down the chord of her neck to her collarbone.

"Mmm." She moaned. "Ok, let's do this!"

Freddie pulled back, surprised and excited at her response. "What?"

"I'll do this little video of yours."

Freddie's face dropped. As his brain finally registered what she was saying, all traces of excitement had disappeared. "Oh."

She propped herself up on her elbows. "…but only because you're taking me to dinner AND you're buying me dessert!"

Freddie gave a loud groan and started to get up. "Of course."

Sam took her place in front of the camera set up, and Freddie went over and pressed a few buttons on the keyboard.

"In 5…4…3…2…" He counted down before joining her.

"Hey there all you Web Wanderers!" Sam shouted excitedly at the camera. "We're here for a special announcement that affects a special population of our iCarly viewers."

"Those would be the Fanfic readers," Freddie chimed in.

"What the chizz are Fanfics, anyway, Freddifer?"

"Fanfics are fictional stories based off of existing TV shows, books, movie, _Webshows_, etc. that the writers are fans of," Freddie explained.

"…And people have been writing about us?" Sam asked skeptically. Freddie nods. "Yeah, that's not creepy at all. This seems right up your alley Fredward, tell them why we're here."

Freddie gives her a quick confused scowl. "We're here because the UFO (that's Universal Fanfic Open) awards is going on over at www . dotmoon . net, and one of our favorite authors is up for best story in the iCarly category."

"I even read it, and we all know how I feel about reading…So go over and vote for 'iCarly's own MLP' by Lula Moola." Sam pointed to the camera.

"Luna Moody," he quickly corrected.

"Right." Without breaking her connection with the camera, she gave him a quick smack on the back of his head. He turns around to glare at her. "What?" she said innocently. "You had a …thing…in your hair."

Freddie rolled his eyes and shook his head before turning back to the camera. "Just go vote, and read a few more stories there while you're at it. There's a lot of other great authors there like Panda Hallows, Fictions of Legends, Spinlight, Vix23, and even another one by Luna Moody, as well as story from other fandoms as well."

Sam looks at him with disgusted confusion. "Are those even names?"

"Well, it's their pen names," he explains, but still sees the confusion on her face. "You know, like Dr. Seuss was the pen name for Theodore Geisel."

"You mean Dr. Seuss, wasn't a real doctor?!" She said shocked.

"And just what did you think he was a doctor of, Sam?"

"I don't know…weird wordology." She sighs disappointedly.

Freddie quickly elbows her in the ribs, reminding her that they're still on cameral. "Oh, yeah. Go read some of the others. I hear reading keeps your brain from going to mush. Me? I'm kind of fond of mush myself. It's like tapioca, or peach cobbler, or Chocolate Meringue Pie, or Flan…" Her words slowed down as her mind started drifting off.

Freddie recognizes the dreamy look, and quickly went over to her secret stash of fat cakes. He ripped one open and waved it under her nose. She suddenly became alert again and grabbed the Fat Cake from him, greedily taking a large bite.

"Thanks, Fredward!" With her mouth full she continued. "So go over and vote, and help this chick win the…what does she win again?"

"I don't know." Freddie shrugged.

"Well is it like a million dollars, or some gigantic trophy or something?"

"I. Don't. Know!" He enunciated again for clarity.

"Why don't you know?" Sam growled. "What's the point of winning something if the prize isn't good?"

"Because Sam, for some people it's honor enough just to have their work recognized and appreciated." He sighed in frustration.

She leaned in close until she was just a couple inches from his face. "Freddie." She said plainly. "That's what losers say!" She yelled!

Freddie rubbed his ear and growled at her. "She's not a loo…Just tell them to vote, please."

"Alright, sounds like _someone_ got a reboot up their hard drive!" She looks back to the camera again. "So remember, you have until April 30th, so go vote for the story and I won't sneak in your bedroom at night and bite your leg off. Now speaking of biting, Mush Tush and I have a date with a grill and a guy with a sharp knife! Say goodnight and turn the camera off Waddle Buns."

"Sam!" He said obviously appalled, but she simply chuckled and walked off screen. "Goodnight, guys." He pointed at the camera. "And Go vote!"

She reached over and clicked the button on the keyboard turning off the recording. She watched him put his camera away. The frown on his face from her comment had yet to disappear. She smiled at him coyly, then sauntered over and puts her arms around his neck.

"So…That's all done." She kissed his neck. "And we still have a little time left." She gives his jaw a small kiss. "You know what I want?"

He grabbed her waist and pulled her into him tightly. "Mmm hmm. I think so…" He smiled lustfully as he bent down to kiss her.

Before he could reach her, she brought her lips to his ear and whispered, "Tell me about the Chocolate Cherry Bombe Diggity!"

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**So there you have it folks. THIS STORY HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR A BEST OF FANDOM AWARD AT WWW . DOTMOON . NET (you gotta remove the spaces. It's a wierd thing with this website) I had a lot of fun writing it, and a lot of fun getting ideas from you guys. I hope you guys had as much fun reading it.**

**For added convenience, I even tried adding a link on my proflie page. I hope it works.**

**Now you all know I love reviews. (I'd sell my little brother for a review.) But this time instead of pushing the little green button PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, GO OVER AND VOTE!!!! The voting is only open until April 30th, so don't wait! GO NOW!!!! If you feel inclined to push the little green button...that'll make me smile too. (BUT NOT AS MUCH AS VOTING :D ) **

**Thanks everyone for your wonderful reviews...including the ones that didn't log in. You know who you are (unfortunately, I don't. Boo hoo). Hopefully I'll be back next time with Awesome news!!! GO VOTE!**


	14. And the Winner Is

Hello again. This will probably be the last time I'm visiting this story. I just thought it was about time I give you an update on the UFO awards. After all I've only known the results since June. Sadly, this story didn't win. It did however come in 2nd place and iStow Away came in 3rd. (Also by Moi!). What did win for the iCarly category was Stairwells and Steering Wheels by Vix23. It's a really good story and the majority of it takes place in a stairwell…or behind a steering wheel (Hey, NOW I get the title! HA J/K). Anyways thanks for reading. Thanks for voting. And Thanks for reviewing. And for all of those who anonymously favorited, but didn't vote. Thank you too. I'd thank you individually, but it was anonymous. Anyway, bye for now, and Happy Reading.

LUNA!


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